Powell to face Obikwelu

ZURICH – Newly crowned European sprint king Francis Obikwelu will test his mettle against 100m world record holder Asafa Powell at the fourth Golden League meeting of the season in Zurich today.

The duo will head a strong field for the 100m that also includes Jamaica’s Michael Frater and Kim Collins of St Kitts and St Nevis – silver and bronze medallists at last year’s world championships. One notable absentee, however, is American champion Justin Gatlin, the Olympic and world champion who admitted last month that he tested positive for testosterone at an April meet.Powell is still in contention for a share of the one-million-dollar jackpot for athletes who can win all six meetings along with American 400m runner Jeremy Wariner, and American Sanya Richards and Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba in the women’s 400m and 5000m events respectively.Undefeated in seven races over 400m this year, Wariner has dominated his rivals, winning both the Paris and Rome legs of the Golden League by more than a full second in each.The 22-year-old has racked up three sub-44-second performances this season, a time which only seven others have breached.”I’d say it would be routine for me to run low-44 and sub-44 the way I’ve been running,” the world champion said.”As long as I execute my own race and stay healthy, I’ll be able to do it the rest of the season, and I hope the rest of my career.”The Weltklasse meeting is being held for the last time in the Letzigrund Stadium, where 23 world records, 58 Swiss records, and more than 250 other national records have been set.Nampa-AFPOne notable absentee, however, is American champion Justin Gatlin, the Olympic and world champion who admitted last month that he tested positive for testosterone at an April meet.Powell is still in contention for a share of the one-million-dollar jackpot for athletes who can win all six meetings along with American 400m runner Jeremy Wariner, and American Sanya Richards and Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba in the women’s 400m and 5000m events respectively.Undefeated in seven races over 400m this year, Wariner has dominated his rivals, winning both the Paris and Rome legs of the Golden League by more than a full second in each.The 22-year-old has racked up three sub-44-second performances this season, a time which only seven others have breached.”I’d say it would be routine for me to run low-44 and sub-44 the way I’ve been running,” the world champion said.”As long as I execute my own race and stay healthy, I’ll be able to do it the rest of the season, and I hope the rest of my career.”The Weltklasse meeting is being held for the last time in the Letzigrund Stadium, where 23 world records, 58 Swiss records, and more than 250 other national records have been set.Nampa-AFP