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Asafa Powell broke the world record for 100 meters today, clocking 9.74 seconds in Rieti, Italy.
Powell, 24, eclipsed the 9.77 mark he produced on three occasions, and a record he shared with Olympic champion Justin Gatlin.
Powell set the record in his first solo race since his disappointing third place finish at the World Championships in Osaka late last month. There, he finished behind American Tyson Gay and Bahamian Derrick Atkins, a distant cousin of Powell’s. Gay went on to capture gold in the 200 and as a member of the U.S. 4x100m relay squad.
Although he faltered in the 100 meter final in Osaka, admitting that he panicked as Gay closed in on him, Powell’s speed was evident later in the week in the 400m relay, where he brought the Jamaican quartet from fourth to second during his sizzling anchor leg.
In the wake of his record dash, attention will once again focus on when Powell and Gay will meet again on the track. Both skipped Friday's 100m race at the Weltklasse IAAF Golden League meeting in Zurich, and while pair are scheduled to compete at the Van Damme Memorial Golden League fixture next Friday in Brussels, it has yet to be confirmed if they will contest the same event.
His record, with a following wind of 1.7 m/s, came in the second of two heats at the Rieti Grand Prix meeting. He ran nearly as fast in the final, clocking 9.78.
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