Athletics: Asafa Powell breaks 100m world record

Jamaican Asafa Powell runs during his record-breaking 100-metre victory at Athens. Picture / Reuters

ATHENS - Jamaica's Asafa Powell set a new 100m world record overnight, clocking 9.77 seconds at the Olympic Stadium here.

The 22-year-old broke Tim Mongomery's previous record of 9.78 set in Paris in September 2002 to become the fastest man ever over the distance.

"This goes to show that the no one knows how fast a man can run," a smiling Powell said.

"I am just happy to have set the record on a track where Maurice Greene also broke the world record."

American Greene set a record in 1999 when he ran 9.79 seconds in the same stadium, which hosted the Summer Olympics last year. That mark survived for three years until Montgomery beat it at the grand prix final in the French capital.

Last night, Powell showed he was in fine form during his semifinal when he clocked 9.98sec despite easing up in the last few metres.

In the final, he got off to a good start and powered past his opponents to finish three metres ahead of Aziz Zakari from Ghana, who was second in 9.99sec and Jamaican Michael Frater, who was third.

- REUTERS