MELBOURNE, Australia (CMC):

Jamaica's world 100-metre record holder Asafa Powell has admitted he surprised himself with his speedy victory at the Melbourne Grand Prix on Thursday.

Powell shrugged off a cut knee that threatened his appearance to win in a meet record 10.04 seconds, erasing the previous mark of 10.06 by the retired American, Maurice Greene.

"I am very surprised because I haven't done anything for two- weeks and today is the first time in spikes," said Powell.

I am very happy; it was faster than I thought," he added.

accelerated

Powell, whose world record stands at 9.74 seconds, had looked set for a sub-10-second performance when he accelerated from the field at the 60-metre mark, but he eased down in the final 10 metres.

It was only confirmed inside the last hour before the race that Powell would race. He had been suffering niggling discomfort from a laceration on his left knee - that required four stitches - after a fall on the stairs at his home in Jamaica, rushing because he was running late for training a day before flying to Melbourne.

This is a big year for Powell as he takes aim at his first major title at the Beijing Olympics his summer.

The reigning Commonwealth Games champion has run the 100 metres in under 10 seconds 33 times and only Greene, who has run under 10 seconds 52 times, has more sub-10 clocking in his career.

Powell is the only man to have run legally under 9.80 seconds more than once, having done so five times, and is the only man to have run legally under 10.00 seconds 12 times in a single season.