Powell creates history in Croatia

ZAGRED, Croatia (CMC):

Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell has become the first athlete in history to run sub-10 seconds in a 100-metre race over 100 times.

Powell, a former 100 metres world record holder, achieved the historic feat by posting 9.96 seconds to win the event at the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Zagreb, Croatia, yesterday.

He ran sub 10 seconds for the 101st time, to finish ahead of American Mike Rodgers, who was timed at 10.10 seconds, and Ramil Guliyev of Turkey, who was third in 10.18 seconds. Veteran Caribbean sprinter Kim Collins of St Kitts & Nevis was fourth in 10.31.

Powell was the most outstanding Caribbean athlete on display as the region bagged a number of bronze medals from field and track events.

In the women's 100 metres, Jamaica's Simone Facey clocked 11.25 seconds to finish third behind American Candyce McGrone (11.10). CÙte d'Ivoire's Marie-Josse Ta Lou was second in 11:17. Sherone Simpson, also from Jamaica, placed fifth in 11.37 seconds, while Trinidad and Tobago's Semoy Hackett was seventh.

Jamaica also picked up another two bronze medals, as Novlene Williams-Mills placed third in the women's 400 metres, posting a time of 51.81, while Andrew Riley was also third in the 110 metres hurdles, in 13.52, behind Sergey Shubenkov of Russia, who won in 13.11 and Pascal Martinot-Lagarde of France (13.50).