Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer

Asafa Powell ... on track for another award. - file

JAMAICA'S WORLD 100 metres record holder, Asafa Powell, is tipped to win the International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) Male Athlete of the Year for 2006. In a year, which ended without any global championships, Powell was the most impressive male on the circuit - winning all his races.

The official ceremony of the 2006 World Athletics Gala will be held on November 12 in Monaco and Powell with a record 12 sub-10 seconds clockings, should walk away with his first World Athlete of the Year Award.

Apart from winning the Common-wealth Games 100m title, Powell also won all six Golden League races and secured a share of the US$1 million prize money.

Powell's Golden League victories were timed at 9.98 (Oslo); 9.85 (Paris); 9.85 (Rome); 9.77 (Zurich); 9.99 (Brussels) and 9.86 (Berlin).

Powell, who ended the year as the top overall male athlete should finish ahead of Americans Tyson Gay and Jeremy Wariner who were third and second on the list respectively.

Powell's record 12 sub-10 runs included two world record equalling races of 9.77 in Gateshead (June 11) and Zurich (August 18).

His record 12-sub 10 second times were as follows: 9.77 (twice), 9.85 (twice), 9.86 (twice), 9.89, 9.91, 9.95. 9.96, 9.98 and 9.99, surpassing the record of nine he previously held with America Maurice Green.

Great season

"It was a really, really great season. I have nothing to complain about, it was a really great season for me," Powell said on his arrival from Japan two weeks ago.

"The highlight (of the season) was when I surprised myself and ran 9.77 in Gateshead and again in Zurich ... those were really the high points for me," said Powell, who won the US$30,000 first prize for his 9.89 run at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany.

Meanwhile, Sherone Simpson, who ended the year as the fastest sprinter with her 10.82 (100m) and 22.00, twice, (200m) should be at least nominated among the top five athletes for the female award, which is expected to go to Jamaica-born American Sanya Richards.

Richards is the top overall female athlete based on the IAAF list, while Simpson is fourth. Ethiopians Meseret Defar and Tirunesh Dibaba fill out the top three.