Jamaica's Asafa Powell (69) is chased by United States' Travis Padgett (left) and fellow Jamaicans Michael Frater (second left) and Ainsley Waugh on his way to victory in the men's 100m final at the IAAF Grand Prix in Rieti, Italy, yesterday. Powell won in 9.82 seconds. He had captured his heat earlier in a faster 9.77 seconds. - AP

RIETI, Italy (CMC):

Jamaican Asafa Powell won the men's 100 metres at yesterday's Rieti Grand Prix international track and field meeting in a fast time, but missed his world record target.

He was attempting to break his compatriot Usain Bolt's world record of 9.69 seconds, but was guilty of a false start then clocked 9.82 seconds in another dominant win at the track where he smashed his own world record last year.

He had won his heat an hour and a half earlier in a faster 9.77 seconds.

Powell's MVP Track Club teammates Shelly-Ann Fraser, Melaine Walker and Shericka Williams all produced wins as the Jamaicans continued to extend their international successes beyond their glorious Olympic showing in Beijing.

Encouraged by his blistering all-time second fastest ever 9.72 run in Lausanne last Tuesday, Powell was taking aim at Bolt's mark here.

He set his last world record (9.74) on this same track a year ago.

He ran a fluent 9.77 seconds in his heat to defeat fellow Jamaican Ainsley Waugh (10.14) and Britain's Craig Pickering (10.15).

In the final - eager to bolt out of the blocks to a world record - Powell was called for a false start and his eventual run, not as smooth as his run in the heats, finished in 9.82 seconds, disappointing for him considering his target and the fact that he had a following wind of 1.4 metres per second.

Powell's reaction time in the race was a slow 0.195, but he produced a brilliant finish to record his fast time.

"I wanted to run faster in the final but it was not the time for it. I know that I could have run the world record if I had not made the false start," Powell said after his win.

His training partner Michael Frater was second in a near personal best 9.98 seconds, and Frenchman Ronald Pognon was third in 10.10. Waugh got sixth in 10.14.

World Champion

Kim Collins, the 2003 World Champion, from St Kitts and Nevis, was fourth in his heat in 10.30 and failed to make the final.

Olympic champions Fraser and Walker were solid in their victories.

Fraser, who helped Jamaica win six gold among a national Olympic record 11 medals in Beijing last month, used her trademark early race speed and won the women's 100 metres in 11.06 seconds, repelling a late-race challenge from fellow Jamaican Kerron Stewart (11.11) with American Carmelita Jeter third in 11.12.

Walker steadied herself after almost falling before the home-stretch and fought off Britain's Tasha Danvers to win the women's 400-metre hurdles in 55.01 seconds.

Danvers (55.25) and Ukraine's Anastasiya Rabchenyuk (55.39) chased her home.

Shericka Williams advertised her fabulous late-season form with a fine win in the women's 200 metres.

A surprise 400-metre silver medallist at the Beijing Olympics last month, Williams stepped down to the shorter event and outgunned Jeter for a narrow win in the half-lap event.

Williams won in a personal best 22.50 seconds, edging Jeter (22.52) with Russian Yuliya Chermo-shanskaya (22.81) third.

In the men's 200 metres, Zimbabwe's Brian Dzingai won in 20.34 seconds with Antiguan Brendan Christian (20.47), Jamaican Chris Williams (20.47) and Collins (20.61) third, fourth and fifth respectively.

Trinidad and Tobago's Ato Stephens (45.90) and Bahamian Michael Mathieu (46.23) were fifth and sixth, respectively, in the men's 400 that Congo's Gary Kikaya won in 45.10, and Jamaican Isa Phillips (48.85) ran a decent second to South African Louis van Zyl (48.52) in the men's 400 hurdles.