Asafa Powell of Jamaica waves to spectators after his 100 metres race at the IAAF Golden Spike athletic meeting in the north Moravian town of Ostrava, Czech Republic, last year. - REUTERS
bridgetown, barbados (cmc)
FORMER OLYMPIC 100 metres champion Donovan Bailey is backing Jamaican Asafa Powell to lower the 100 metres world record and create even more history.
Bailey, who was born in Jamaica but represented Canada, said Powell is an "amazing athlete" and "could go even faster".
"I met Asafa many, many moons ago when his brother Donovan Powell was training with me at the University of Texas," said the 38-year-old Bailey, who beat a star-studded field to win the marquee event at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
"A lot of times when I'm in Europe a lot of people compare Asafa's running style to mine. I had the hitch because of my hip, but he's a lot smoother than I was.
"Because of that he has run significantly faster than I have and has been consistently fast. I hope he stays healthy and continue this domination by Caribbean sprinters."
Powell shares the world record of 9.77 seconds with Justin Gatlin of the United States. Bailey's all-time best is 9.84 which he set on July 27, 1996 when he won the Olympic title.
GLORIOUS DAY
"If I went 9.7 that would have been a glorious day and now he (Powell) goes 9.7 like it's nothing. Obviously with him running the perfect race it seems like he can go one-tenth faster.
"When you look at how smooth he is and ultimately if he gets stronger in his first 60 metres and can maintain the speed, he can do some amazing stuff."
Bailey is in Barbados as part of the Kevin Weekes Celebrity Weekend and Golf Classic.
The 31-year-old Weekes, who was born in Canada to Barbadian parents, is the goaltender with the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL).
He has also set up a charity project on the island to aid with the development of young athletes.
Apart from Bailey, other participants include NHL star players, NBA players, actors and supermodels.
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