Athletics: Bolt will meet Powell again

Published on Friday 4 July 2008 22:18

WORLD-RECORD holder Usain Bolt will race against Asafa Powell in the 100 metres at the DN Galan athletics meet in Stockholm on 22 July, the organisers announced yesterday.

"It's confirmed," meet director Rajne Soderberg said. "We are very happy. Powell always liked competing in Stockholm. And Bolt ran in a relay here two years ago."

The 21-year-old Bolt set the world record of 9.72 seconds in New York a month ago, breaking Powell's old mark of 9.74. They last met at Jamaica's Olympic trials in late June. Bolt won the 100 in 9.85, 0.12 ahead of Powell. Both qualified for next month's Beijing Olympics.

Meanwhile, LaShawn Merritt posted his second 400m upset of the year, pulling away from Jeremy Wariner in the final 150m to win the US Olympic track and field trials on Thursday.

Merritt finished in 44 seconds flat, defeating Wariner by 0.20. David Neville finished third.

"Coming into this, I wasn't really worried about everyone saying I wasn't the favourite," Merritt said. "In my mind, I was the favourite."

Moments before, the women's 400m went much more to form, with Sanya Richards winning and Mary Wineberg and Dee Dee Trotter capturing the other two spots.

In the women's steeplechase, Anna Willard set an American record, finishing the 3,000m race in nine minutes, 27.59 seconds.