Powell shows power with impressive Doha win

ASAFA POWELL laid down a challenge to his 100m rivals byclocking a wind-aided 9.75 seconds as the IAAF Diamond League got underway in Doha last night.

The Jamaican former world record holder, running his first 100m of the season, recorded the time in his heat before winning the final in a windy 9.81sec at the inaugural meeting in the series at the Qatar Sports Club.

Powell was one of five to go under the 10-second mark in the final, which was helped by a following wind of 2.3m per second. Another Jamaican, Nesta Carter, was second in 9.88 and American Travis Padgett third in 9.92.

Powell said: “I’m satisfied. It’s the first race for the season and I ran 9.75 and 9.81. There was a little bit of a tailwind but I’ve never opened so well in my entire career so I’m happy.

“The heat was excellent. I was working on a few things, but it turned out quite well, so I just have to keep working on it. I said I wanted to open people’s eyes, and 9.75, that should.

“In the final I got a very bad start, the gun was very fast, I wasn’t quite settled in the blocks, but I managed to run back and win the race.”

Great Britain’s Christine Ohuruogu, though, was beaten into fifth in the 400m as American three-time world 200m champion Allyson Felix took the win in a world-leading 50.15sec.

Ohuruogu clocked 50.88s in a very strong 400m field, in which Botswana’s Amantle Montsho came second in 50.34 and Jamaican Novlene Williams-Mills third in 50.50.

World indoor champion Lolo Jones won a strong 100m hurdles. The American, who secured her second world indoor title in Doha in March, clocked a windy 12.63secs to win ahead of Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, last year’s world silver medallist outdoors. The Canadian came home in 12.67, with Virginia Powell-Crawford of America third in 12.70.

Bershawn Jackson upstaged world champion and fellow American Kerron Clement to win the 400m hurdles. Jackson, the bronze medallist from last year’s World Championships, won in 48.66, with Clement second in 48.82.

World champion Blanka Vlasic of Croatia won the high jump in 1.98 metres, while Christian Cantwell, another winner in Berlin last summer, threw a world leading 21.82m, also a meeting record, to win the shot put.

Germany’s Silke Spiegelburg won the pole vault and Russian Mariya Abakumova the javelin.

Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart won the women’s 200m in 22.34.

Kenya’s David Rudisha won the 800m, the 1500m was won by Nancy Jebet Langat of Kenya. Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge in the 5000m, world champion Ezekiel Kemboi in the 3000m steeplechase and Cuba’s Alexis Copello in the triple jump also won while Cuba’s Yarelis Barrios won the discus.