EUGENE, Oregon (Reuters):JOINT WORLD record holders Asafa Powell and Justin Gatlin will run in separate 100 metres races at the Prefontaine Classic today in their first tests at the distance locked together as the fastest men on the planet.
Cool, damp weather could slow times down, but Jamaica's Powell, who set the world record of 9.77 seconds last June, said a sub-10 second clocking should be possible.
"I ran 9.85 last year in Ostrava and it was raining and very cold," he said.
Gatlin stormed into the world-record picture when he clocked what was announced as a world-record 9.76 seconds at Doha on May 12.
Five days later, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said the American had only tied the record because of a timing error.
Organisers of the Eugene meeting responded by arranging for both to run 100 metres but in separate races.
"We wanted to whet the appetite of track and field fans around the world by having them both run 100 metres," promoter Tom Jordan said.
NOT A TRUE SHOWDOWN
But a true showdown it will not be.
Gatlin will line up in one eight-man section and Powell will run in the other.
Each section winner will be recognised as a champion, leaving it to fans and the clock to determine the day's fastest runner.
"We decided it would be unfair to the athletes to artificially create an overall champion," Jordan said.
"The IAAF, however, will use the combined results in awarding world rankings points."
Gatlin and Powell have promised to run as fast as the weather would permit.
"My goal is to run faster than I did here last year or close to it, but I've never run that fast in cold conditions," said Gatlin, who edged Powell a year ago as both runners clocked wind-assisted 9.84 second times.
Powell said he was easing up in the second half of the 2005 race to avoid injury.
He later crashed out of a showdown against Gatlin in London while injuring his groin.
The setback kept him out of the Helsinki world championships, where Gatlin won gold at both 100 and 200 metres.
"I'm healthy now," said Commonwealth Games champion Powell, whose seasonal best is 9.95 seconds.
But win or lose today, Powell said he doubted the meeting would give either he or Gatlin a psychological advantage when they do go head-to-head on the track.
"You can't judge it on this meet," he said. "Because conditions could be so different."
