Groin injury forces Powell out of meet

Source: Agencies  |   2008-7-17  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

ASAFA Powell pulled out of the Gaz de France meet after feeling a groin cramp while running in Rome last Friday.

The Jamaican sprinter is not taking any risks at the Golden League meet in Saint-Denis, France, with less than four weeks before the start of the Beijing Olympics.

Powell's agent, Paul Doyle, said that the former 100-meter word record holder would run in the Super Grand Prix meet in Stockholm on July 22.

"The injury is not bad," Doyle said. "It just made him realize that he has to get back into training a little bit. He wants to put in a full week of training. He's been able to train fully. But to do Paris would interrupt training too much."

Powell had held the 100 record of 9.74 seconds until May 31, when Usain Bolt ran 9.72 at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York. Tyson Gay won the US trials in 9.68, but he had too strong of a tailwind. "I think having company now in that 9.7 range actually takes pressure off of him (Powell)," Doyle said. "Everyone has been expecting him to break the world record every time out and win every race.

"He's training hard and fully expects to get his world record back at some stage. I think it's exciting for the sport these guys to be racing each other and put up these fast times."

Powell finished third in the 100 of the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, behind Gay and Derrick Atkins.

Gay, meanwhile, is in Germany, resting, relaxing and getting ready for his next race ?? almost exactly like he planned before getting injured at the US Olympic Trials.

Gay sprained a muscle in the back of his left leg in a 200-meter qualifying race, a tumble that forced him to be carted off the track and ended his chances of winning two individual gold medals in Beijing.

"He's fine," his coach, Jon Drummond, said on Tuesday. "He's walking normal. There's nothing to really be overly concerned about. I feel there's no reason why he won't be 100 percent at the Games."