Olympics: Asafa Powell ready to outshine his rivals in Diamond League

With the London Olympics 77 days away, the season-opening Diamond League meet in Qatari capital Doha tomorrow offers a chance for many of the world’s elite athletes to chart their progress and renew old rivalries.

Some of the most intriguing match-ups are in the 100 metres, with Jamaica’s Asafa Powell facing his countryman Nesta Carter and American Justin Gatlin. Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce faces off against Veronica Campbell-Brown in the women’s 100m in a possible prelude to London. Also in the race is Allyson Felix, a three-times world champion in the 200m who has twice won the 100m in Doha.

Powell, a former world record holder, has been overshadowed in recent years by Usain Bolt and his fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake, who won the 100m at the world championships last year after Bolt was disqualified following a false start.

The 29-year-old Powell missed the worlds with a groin injury, but believes he still has it in him to win Olympic gold. “It’s not going to be easy. This one will be very difficult,” Powell said of the London Games. “It’s just the best man on that day will win. You have to be prepared.”

Gatlin also sees London as possibly his last chance for an Olympic medal, after winning the 100m at the 2004 Athens Games. The Doha meet also holds special significance for Gatlin, since it was here in 2006 that he tied Powell’s then world record of 9.77 seconds. His time was erased weeks later after it emerged Gatlin had tested positive for excessive levels of testosterone, which led to a four-year ban.

“It is just good to be in strong competition once again,” said Gatlin, who has beaten Powell in six of their nine meetings.

Felix will be hoping a victory over Campbell-Brown can set her on the way to a historic season. She is considering running the 200m and 400m in London and wants a gold to go along with her two Olympic silver medals.

Campbell-Brown also welcomed the chance to face off against Felix again, having beaten her at this distance in all five of their meetings. She will be looking for her third straight Olympic gold in the 200m in London. “It’s a great field and I’m sure we will push each other and entertain the crowd,” said Campbell-Brown.

In the men’s 800m, world champion and Olympic favorite David Rudisha will be looking to set a season’s best in a field missing his main rival Mohammed Aman of Ethiopia, who pulled out. In the women’s 800m, Olympic champion Pamela Jelimo will be looking to turn the tide on her fellow Kenyan Janeth Jepkosgei, who has beaten her in the last six races.