MELBOURNE, Australia – The vaulters at least took the option of running with the wind. The sprinters were granted no such favours. Still, all eyes were on Powell earlier in the night because no one had ever broken 10sec in and no one had come closer than Powell with a couple of 10.03 runs at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and a 10.04 in this meet last summer. But the weather turned on him.
“I really just wanted to get this race over with because the first race always messes with your mind,’’ Powell said after battling to win in 10.23sec into a 1.4m/s wind. “It was a bit cold, the wind was heavy, but I’m still satisfied. I made it through. So I got this over with and I know where I’m at. I got home safely and there are no injuries so I’m happy.”
“It was a very tough headwind. The wind makes a lot of difference. I’m not feeling bad about that race because conditions were tough. I didn’t get out as well because I didn’t push too hard so I had to really push to get away from the guys and I did that very smoothly.”
SOURCE: IAAF Mike Hurst (Sydney Daily Telegraph)
