Powell's sights set on beating Bolt after 100m victory in Birmingham

Asafa Powell clocked 9.91 seconds to win the 100 meters in difficult conditions at the Aviva Grand Prix Diamond League meeting in Birmingham last night and go some way to backing up his pre-race claim that he is the "No. 1 sprinter this year."

The Jamaican was delayed by a false start and then a faulty start before cantering to victory in damp conditions ahead of fellow Jamaicans Nesta Carter and Michael Frater.

Powell hopes to usurp sprint king Usain Bolt at the world championships in Daegu, South Korea, which begin 27 August.

The 28-year-old Powell said in before the Birmingham meeting that he felt like the "man to beat." Bolt is the world record-holder, but Powell is the quickest man this year after running 9.78 in Lausanne 10 days ago.

"I was only going to do enough to win today," Powell said. "I didn't want to push too hard. I just wanted to get the win. At the worlds, I'm definitely going to win. I'm going for it and I'll try not to disappoint."

After a 9.95 in the heats, his 70th sub-10 second run, Powell was expected to better that in the final - especially as the earlier rain had cleared to give way to slightly improved conditions. But after Jaysuma Saidy Ndure of Norway false-started and was disqualified, there was then another abandoned start before Powell could finally get going.

"I was a bit cautious in the final with all the false starts and it was cold out there so I didn't push it from the start," Powell said. "But it was OK. I'm fine with that. We all want to get the best start but when there's false starts it puts you in a different zone."

In the women's 100m hurdles, Sally Pearson followed a season's best run in the heats with an Australian record of 12.48 seconds to win the final. The 24-year-old Commonwealth champion and Olympic silver medalist posted the quickest time in the world this year, leading from first to last hurdle and holding off Danielle Carruthers of the United States, who finished in 12.52. Carruthers' compatriot Virginia Crawford was third.

The United States had a 1-2-3 in the women's 200m as Bianca Knight beat Marshevet Myers in a photo finish, with both clocking 22.59 seconds. Carmelita Jeter, the world leader over 100m, had to settle for third.

The women's 400m was dominated by Amantle Montsho of Botswana, who extended her Diamond League lead over Allyson Felix with her fourth win in the series. The 28-year-old Commonwealth champion was still pulling away from her flagging rivals as she crossed the line in 50.20, ahead of Jamaican pair Rosemarie Whyte and Novlene Williams-Mills.

Reigning double world champion Blanka Vlasic, of Croatia, held off Anna Chicherova of Russia to win the high jump. Both went over 1.99 metres, but Vlasic won on countback.

In the men's 400m hurdles, Dai Greene held off 2005 world champion Bershawn Jackson in the home straight to win in a season's best of 48.20 seconds.

The 25-year-old Briton was well ahead midway through the race but Jackson made up ground to be almost level with Greene going over the final hurdle. Urged on by a 12,500-capacity home crowd, European champion Greene kept his form to the line for his second Diamond League win after posting his first in Lausanne 10 days ago.

The home crowd had another win to celebrate when Mo Farah won the 5,000m in 13 minutes, 6.14 seconds ahead of Galen Rupp of the United States. Farah is the fastest man over 10,000 this year and one of Britain's leading medal hopes at the world championships.

The much-anticipated clash between triple jumpers Phillips Idowu of Britain and Teddy Tamgho of France failed to live up to expectations as Tamgho struggled. Idowu, world and European champion, won with a best of 17.54 in the third round. Tamgho, who beat Idowu in Lausanne last time out, came fifth with 16.74 - a long way short of his personal best of 17.98.

Meanwhile, Eilish McColgan set a new Scottish 3,000 metres steeplechase record after smashing her best by an astonishing eight seconds in her Diamond League debut in Birmingham. The 20-year-old from Dundee looked at home in the biggest race of her career to date, running 9:47.03 in the rain to finish ninth and earn the qualifying time for this year's world championships.