Powell dominates Shanghai China as Gay fades

Wallace Spearmon beat Tyson Gay in the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix this Friday.

World 100m and 200m champion Gay blasted out of the blocks but at 80m his US teammate Spearmon went ahead beat him to the line in 9.96 seconds.

Gay clocked 10.02 with Jamaica's Michael Frater third.

"I'm very excited about this performance. Last year I ran a personal best here and this year I've done the same," said the winner ...

Gay admitted he had been resting since the world championships in Osaka and there was never a true race in him really; let alone one against dominant Asafa Powell.

"Wallace Spearmon ran a great race. I was just a little bit rusty," accoring to Gay.

"I haven't done a lot of training, I've been resting and relaxing." Trips to London for his sponsors Adidas and the pressure of the World crown sees the Osaka win appear more and more like a gift from a mistake by Powell than a true triumph for Gay. He closes out the season World champion but not world #1.

That goes to Asafa Powell set a new 100m world record of 9.74sec in Italy earlier this month.

Powell in a surprise twist claimed he was "not allowed" to face Gay at Shanghai in a rematch of their world championship final : www.100m.com and www.200m.com doubted the two would race after Osaka and its looking like things will run out at that now.

Powell pulled out the stops to wow the Chinese crowd and stormed the 200m in 20 seconds close to his personal best. America's Rodney Martin was second Jamaica's Christopher Williams third.

Womens 200m to France at Stuttgart ... just !

The women’s 200m at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany saw only one world championships’ finalist in the race LaShauntea Moore (USA) 7th in Osaka.

Lauren Williams, a PB of 22.27. Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie (BAH) with a 22.19 and Kim Gevaert (BEL) with a 22.20 were all in with a chance.

Numerous false starts and problems with the start equipment turned the race start into a mess.

Muriel Hurtis-Houairi of France finally won in 22.73 with Ferguson-McKenzie 1/1000th of a second behind:

1. Muriel Hurtis-Houairi (FRA ) 22.73
2. Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie (BAH ) 22.74
3. LaShauntea Moore (USA ) 22.78
4. Kim Gevaert (BEL ) 22.84
5. Lauryn Williams (USA ) 22.94
6. Joice Maduaka (GBR ) 23.36
7. Stephanie Durst (USA ) 23.50
Sheri-Ann Brooks (JAM ) DNS

Absent Gay leaves 200m open and Ndure takes it away from Spearmon

Wallace Spearmon looked set for gold at 200m in the 5th IAAF World Athletics Final from Stuttgart, Germany yet it was not to be his race.....

Spearmon took it too easy and Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (NOR) – running for his life was well ahead of him at the finish.

Ndure, a Gambian now from Norway, took his personal best down by 0.58 seconds.

Ndure’s improvement in an event where half second improvements can take years to dial in has been the subject of a fair bit of comment : though for now let's not detract from his first dip into the sub-20 second zone....

1. Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (NOR) 19.89
2. Wallace Spearmon (USA) 20.18
3. Rodney Martin (USA) 20.27
4. Johan Wissman (SWE) 20.30
5. Christopher Williams (JAM) 20.39
6. Joshua J. Johnson (USA) 20.48
7. Brian Dzingai (ZIM) 20.56
8. Paul Hession (IRL) 20.58

Powell for 200m in Shanghai China and Yokohama ....Tyson Gay for 100m?

Powell leaves Europe on a roll over 100m and heads for asian 200m races

Powell dominated in Europe this summer – ending his stay with a 100m victory in 9.83 seconds at the 5th IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final.

His sixth fastest time ever, and his 11th at 9.85 or better and at 24 only two have ever run faster!


“It was one of the best,” he said, after his ninth victory in ten 100m races this season.

“When I crossed the line, I wished that it could have been a little more. But after two false starts and when I saw that the wind was minus, I said, ‘Whoa, that’s really good.’ But at first, I was looking for a little more.”

American Tyson Gay beat him at the World Championships and has been running ever since in the direction of avoiding Powell, that one win remains the news since the Osaka outing.

“I’m really happy right now,” Powell said

“that’s gone, it’s in the past. And I’m working very hard now. It’s good to get beat sometimes. It shows that you’re not unbeatable. And it motivates me to keep working hard. So now I just have to work hard to stay unbeaten.”

Despite a world record he knows “This season wasn’t the best for me,” ... “but I’m still very happy. I bounced back very quickly from the World Championships, I’ve run some good times, the World record. My aim next year,” he continued, “is to compete as much and as well as possible. And to go to Beijing and come home with the gold medal.”

Tyson Gay is very good !

“I’m not really focusing on anybody right now. Tyson is very good, and I underestimated him in Osaka and I don’t want to make that mistake again.”

“Next year I hope to race him before the Olympics,” ... “I’m not 100 percent sure , but I hope so. It’s important.”


Powell claims he will be wrapping up his season with a pair of 200m appearances, first in Shanghai and then Yokohama.

Perhaps Gay will run 100m in Shanghai at the Golden Meet or in Yokohama? It sounds like there will not be a re-match over 100m after all this season ....

Gay & Felix in Adidas London olympic 50 million Pound Blitz

Adidas will become their third major sponsor of London 2012.

The £50 million deal, will be confirmed at a press conference on Thursday featuring Tyson Gay and women's 200 metres world champion Allyson Felix.

Gay a top Adidas athlete has been off the track for a while now since OSAKA and Powell has been making all the running news with his world record run over 100m. See more at www.100m.com.

This is a step on the way to the £2 billion target they have set for staging the 2012 Games.

Adidas become the third company to back London 2012's 'top tier' sponsorship programme.

There is a £80 million deal with high street bank Lloyds TSB.

French energy giant EDF have agreed to pay about £50 million.

Absent Gay opens door for great time by Spearmon over 200m

Americans dominated the 200m at the 31st Memorial Van Damme - IAAF Golden League in Brussels, Belgium on Friday September 14th, 2007 .

Wallace Spearmon ran hard and strong to take the men’s 200m in seasons best of 19.88.

Finishing behind the American was Xavier Carter who ran 20.04 and Jamaican world silver medallist and world junior record holder Usain Bolt, in 20.14.

Will Gay run 200m to duck Powell over 100m ?

he is planning to compete

It remains to be seen when, if at all, the double world champion puts his reputation on the line and races Powell the fastest man on earth. If past records are an indication of anything he may not do that in the last three big meetings in Asia. Fresh off his medal haul in Osaka he will be unlikely to risk ending the season in second place on the track as well as in the record book unless the rewards are simply too rich to pass up. Only his management team know and at the moment its in the "planning" stage.

Gay may elect do a relay if he is still tired.

follows:

Report: Gay to run in Yokohama
The Yomiuri Shimbun

Newly crowned world sprint champion Tyson Gay will return to Japan later this month to run in the Super Meet in Yokohama, his management company was quoted as saying in a Reuters report on Wednesday.

In commenting on Gay's withdrawal from the Golden League meet in Brussels on Friday--which ended hopes of a possible rematch with rival Asafa Powell--a spokeswoman for Global Sports Management said Gay would be competing in three meets in Asia.

"Tyson is taking a break as he recovers from the world championships and will not run in Brussels," Barbara Huebner of Global Sports was quoted as saying. "But he is planning to compete in meets at Shanghai, China; Yokohama, Japan and Daegu, South Korea."

Zurich misses Powell and Gay no shows

With no Powell and no Gay the 100m saw times well of what was to come from Powell a few days later. Without Gay to set alight the 200m the Zurich crowd enjoyed a "b team" line up.


The big re-match will no doubt come in Asia either in Japan, Korea or Shanghai China at the Golden meet.

Europe may be in danger of losing its status as a choice major race location to Asia after Osaka proved that Asia is the focus and Beijing is all anyone wants to talk about.


100m — 1, Francis Obikwelu, Portugal, 10.17 seconds. 2, Marlon Devonish, Britain, 10.20. 3, Jaysuma Saidy Ndure, Norway, 10.20. 4, Olusoji Fasuba Nigeria, 10.20. 5, Leroy Dixon, United States, 10.23. 6, Marc Burns, Trinidad and Tobago, 10.36.

200m — 1, Xavier Carter, United States, 19.92. 2, Usain Bolt, Jamaica, 20.19. 3, Johan Wissman, Sweden, 20.47. 4, J.J. Johnson, United States, 20.49. 5, Rodney Martin, United States, 20.53. 6, Marvin Anderson, Jamaica, 20.55.

Tyson Gay ducks tough 200m at Weltklasse in Zurich

Anderson, Bolt, Carter, Martin, Saidy Ndure, Spearmon, Williams and Wissman all line up in the 200m sprint race at the big money Zurich event on September 7, 2007.


Other events timetabled include:


Wednesday, September 5th, 2007, 1 p.m.: media get-together at the Hotel Crowne Plaza with Tyson Gay (USA) - multiple world champion (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay)

Thursday, September 6th, 2007, 1 p.m.: media get-together at the Hotel Crowne Plaza with Bernard Lagat (USA) - 3000m, Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) - pole vault, Sanya Richards (USA) - 400m, Christine Ohuruogu (GBR) - 400m, Wallace Spearmon (USA) - 200m, Usain Bolt (JAM) - 200m, Xavier Carter (USA) - 200m

Will Gay join Wariner in Shanghai ?

The Shanghai Golden Grand Prix has only hurdlers and 400m star Wariner listed as running right now on its website but the news on the media feeds suggests that a cluster of world class athletes will be there.

Watch this site www.400m.com and www.100m.com for latest confirmations as the athletes come back to Asia after doing battle in Europe.

Shanghai Golden Grand Prix

Check out the news for the coming sensational lineup of World class athletes coming to Shanghai in September 2007 including Jeremy Wariner and more.

With confirmations coming in fast this meeting will be the one "must do" event for any serious competitor who wants to get to know the Chinese crowds and build support for thier run for glory at the Beijing Olympics

Shanghai China for Gay and other medalists in run for Beijing and commercial Gold

Shanghai China, Yokohama and Daegu hail the fastest runners in the world.

With post Europe race meetings to be held in Shanghai, China; Yokohama, Japan; and in Daegu, South Korea are crucial in this pre-Olympic year for any top flight runners.

Triple world champion Tyson Gay, world record holders Liu Xiang, Asafa Powell, Yelena Isinbayeva, Kenenisa Bekele and Meseret Defar and Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner are among numerous elite athletes considering or signed up for one or more of the meetings, their agents say; these 5km, 200m, 100m and 400m racers will be looking to cash in and at the same time add to their profile in China as their Olympic bids get rolling.

"With the world championships in Osaka, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2011 world championships in Daegu, there are going to be lots of things happening in Asia in track and field," Powell's agent, Paul Doyle, told Reuters in an interview.

The Olympics are key to major marketing intitiatives by Nike, Adidas and other major sports brands who all need their stars to be know to the highly brand obsessed China market; these athletes are going to be hot for a year to come but remain generally unknown in China, let alone the brand of shoes they wear, whose sunglasses they prefer and anything else of significance.

A "no show" in Shanghai would be a commercial and personal mistake for any medalist from Osaka who is looking for the support of his team or wanting to become known to the Chinese market in the run up to Beijing.

Will Tyson gay be able to captivate the Chinese market as quickly as he is covering the track remains to be seen.

Wariner featured on www.400m.com as a standout athlete fits the bill perfectly with his signature shades and diamons; China will not be able to get enough of him.

Of course the flying Liu winning gold over the 110 Hurdles will be sure to have the hearts of the nation clearing them with him in Shanghai.

Shanghai China, Yokohama, Daegu call all World class Athletes

Post Europe race meetings to be held in Shanghai, China; Yokohama, Japan; and in Daegu, South Korea are crucial in this pre-Olympic year for any top flight runners.

Triple world champion Tyson Gay, world record holders Liu Xiang, Asafa Powell, Yelena Isinbayeva, Kenenisa Bekele and Meseret Defar and Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner are among numerous elite athletes considering or signed up for one or more of the meetings, their agents say; these 5km, 200m, 100m and 400m racers will be looking to cash in and at the same time add to their profile in China as their Olympic bids get rolling.

"With the world championships in Osaka, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2011 world championships in Daegu, there are going to be lots of things happening in Asia in track and field," Powell's agent, Paul Doyle, told Reuters in an interview.

The Olympics are key to major marketing intitiatives by Nike, Adidas and other major sports brands who they all need their stars to be know to the highly brand obsessed China market. A "no show" in Shanghai would be a commercial and personal mistake for any medalist from Osaka who is looking for the support of his team or wanting to become known to the Chinese market in the run up to Beijing.

Wariner fits the bill perfectly with his signature shades and diamons; China will not be able to get enough of him; and of course the flying Liu.

200m Gold double for USA and Felix

Allyson Felix took back-to-back 200 meters world titles with the fastest time for over six years and the biggest winning margin in decades in a major track 200m final.

Felix, of the United States, hauled down the home stretch for a personal best of 21.81 seconds to deny Veronica Campbell a sprint double and matching the win of Tyson Gay in the mens 200m earlier in the competition.

The Jamaican 100m winner came home second in 22.34 but was nowhere near the winner; Susanthika Jayasinghe took bronze, to go with 1997 silver, for Sri Lanka in 22.63 seconds.

Only one medal for Team USA. If it had to be that way then Gold was the one to take home.

Gay targets Beijing sprint treble

Sprint king Tyson Gay has confirmed he will be going for three golds at the Olympics in China next summer.

Gay, 25, won the men's 100m and 200m at this week's World Championships in Osaka before helping the United States team to 4x100m relay gold.

"Yes, I want to do all three," he said when asked about his plans for Beijing.

"Never in a million years did I think I would win three golds (in Japan)," added Gay, who emulated compatriot Maurice Greene in achieving the feat.

"At US national championships (where he also won the 100 and 200m) you were trying to make the team. Here you were trying to make history."

Gay had never previously won a medal at a global event, said: "Mentally and physically, my body is drained.

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Bolt makes pledge to beat Tyson Gay

Jamaica's outstanding 200-metre runner Usain Bolt has pledged to beat man of the moment Tyson Gay of the United States.

Bolt, who ran second to Gay in the 200-metre final on Friday, conceded in an IAAF website story that Gay was the better man now, but he is harbouring thoughts of defeating him eventually.

Gay landed gold and completed the sprint double when he won the half-lap sprint in a championship record 19.76 seconds on Friday, chased by Bolt who clocked 19.91 seconds for silver.

"Tyson was the better man on the day, but hopefully, next time, I will get him," Bolt said.

"I tried hard, but for the moment he (Gay) is unbeatable. I think I did pretty well, but I would have liked to win the gold," added Bolt, after capturing his first major championships medal.

Winner of the World Junior title in 2002 and the World Youth title in 2003, Bolt said he will do whatever it takes to beat Gay next season.

Bolt, who is the World Junior record holder at 19.93, and Central American and Caribbean record holder at 19.75, admitted, however, that it is going to take hard work and dedication to beat Gay.

"It's all about hard work and training and getting everything right, and running a perfect race on the day," said the Jamaican, who turned 21 years old last month.

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