Elton Tucker, Assistant Sport Editor
Asafa Powell of Jamaica crosses the finish line to win his 100m quarter-final heat at the 11th IAAF World Athletics Championships in Osaka yesterday. - Reuters
OSAKA, Japan:
IT'S D-DAY in Osaka for Jamaica's world 100 metres record holder Asafa Powell.
The Jamaica sprint ace and his American arch-rival Tyson Gay, the fastest man in the world this year, are poised to set the Japanese city alight on day two of the 11th IAAF World Championships.
Powell has done little talking since competition started early yesterday. He has allowed his feet to make all the statements from him so far and after breezing through his quarter-final heat yesterday in 10.01 seconds he had just one word for reporters as he moved swiftly through the mixed zone.
When asked how he felt, he said 'good'. In fact, no-one really needed to pop the question. He was flashing a broad smile from the moment he left the track after crossing the line, pulling up, in 10.01 seconds, just ahead of his second cousin, Bahamian Derrick Atkins, 10.02.
Track lightning fast
Gay, meanwhile, looked more extended in winning his quarter-final heat in 10.06, beating Britain's Marlon Devonish, 10.13. The American said after his first-round heat that he had been trying to run slow but the track is lightning fast. With that hint many here are expecting a sub-9.80 clocking in the final.
Both men are drawn in separate semi-finals. Powell is in semi-final one where he will again face Atkins, while Gay is up against the Jamaican pair of Nesta Carter and Clement Campbell. Both were fourth in their second-round heats. Campbell clocked 10.28 behind Gay, while Carter's heat was won by Pan American champion Chrunday Martina of the Netherlands in 10.10. Carter's time was 10.23. The semi-final is set for 6:10 a.m. (Ja time), 8:10 p.m. here and the final at 8:20 a.m. (10:20 here).
Earlier both Gay and Powell had taken things easily in the first round to give two virtual unknowns their moments of fame. Japan's Nobuhuru Asahara can now boast that he has a victory over Gay after winning the first heat in a season-best 10.14.
The American was second in 10.19. Powell was slower (10.34) in heat six, won in 10.29 by Trinidad and Tobago's Keston Bledman.
Overall, Jamaica had a good opening day with only one athlete, 400m hurdles runner Markino Buckley, failing to get past the first round of his event. Buckley pulled up halfway through his heat with what appeared to be leg injury.
Two athletes, national shot put record holder Dorian Scott and 3,000m steeplechaser Mardrea Hyman, reached the finals of their events. Scott made history by becoming the first Jamaican thrower to reach a final at this level while Hyman is in the medal round of the steeplechase for the second consecutive championships.
Scott's celebration was cut short later in the day as he had three consecutive fouls in the shot put final and was unplaced as he made no mark. The gold medal went to American Reese Hoffa with a throw of 22.04m ahead of his compatriot Adam Nelson, 21.61m.
In hot, humid and overall very difficult conditions, Hyman placed sixth in the third of three heats to advance as one of the three fastest losers to tomorrow's final. Hyman, whose best for 2007 is 9:37.50, benefitted from running in the fastest heat as all four qualifiers on time came from heat three. Cristina Casandra of Romania clocked 9:29.39 to edge out Russian Yekatarina Volkova, 9:30.00. Running the final 50m as if her life depended on it, the Vere Technical past student finished strongly to grab the final spot in 9:42.23.
Korine Hinds, Hyman's friend and training partner, was not so lucky. Hinds failed by just three-hundredths of a second to get an automatic qualifying spot in heat two, ending up fifth in 9:44.04. Fourth place, Sara Moreirsa of Portugal, hit the line in 9:44.01. The heat went to Rosa Morato of Spain in 9:43.48.
The opening heat was won by Kenya's Eunice Jepkorir in 9:32.27.
Hyman, like all the other runners, complained about the heat and high humidity in Osaka but took it in stride.
"We just had to go out there and be mentally tough and give it all we have got," she said.
National 800m champion Kenia Sinclair and 400m hurdlers Danny McFarlane and Isa Phillips are also in today's semi-finals of their events.
Sinclair was second in her heat in 2:00.35 behind Sviatlana Usovich of Belarus, 1:59.95. The fastest qualifier was Commonwealth champion Janeth Jepkosgei of Kenya who captured heat six in 1:58.95.
Sinclair, who prefers the heat here to the cold in Helsinki two years ago, said her plan was to take the lead and then slow the pace but that soon changed when the race started.
"They went out fast and I had no choice but to go with the pace as I wanted to secure automatic qualification. I therefore went with them and made sure at all times that I was in the top three," Sinclair said.
Running his usual powerful opening race, Olympic silver medallist McFarlane won his heat in 48.91 beating American Kerron Clement, 49.07. The fastest man in the first round was former world champion Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic. Sanchez, who dominated the event from 2000-2005, looked to be back to his best with a smooth 48.70. Jamaica's Isa Phillips ran a ragged race and was fourth in 49.38.
IN ACTION TODAY
MEN
6:10 a.m.: 100m semi-finals - Asafa Powell, Clement Campbell, Nesta Carter.7:45 a.m: 400m hurdles semi-finals - Danny McFarlane, Isa Phillips.
WOMEN
8:50 p.m: (Saturday) 400m heats - Novlene Williams, Shericka Williams, Shereefa Lloyd.
