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NEWS Gatlin to face Powell in Gateshead SPRINTS: Biggest athletics clash of the season still set for the North-East on June 11 WORLD and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin and Jamaica's Asafa Powell are set for the most eagerly anticipated clash of the season in Gateshead on June 11, despite reports the American would pull out. The first meeting this year between the two fastest men in the world was set up less than a week before Gatlin clocked 9.77 in Doha last Friday to equal the world record set by Powell last year. Reports suggested the Norwich Union British Grand Prix meeting would no longer be able to afford the pair following the performance. However, organisers Fast Track confirmed the contracts had been signed and the race between the two was still scheduled to go ahead.
Justin Gatlin (left) and Asafa Powell (right) are due to face each other at Gateshead on June 11 "We've been in contact with Renaldo Nehemiah, Gatlin's agent, and he has confirmed the co-world record-holder will be running in Gateshead," said a Fast Track spokesman. "It's the race that everyone wants to see and Britain has a history of putting on some of the best races in the world." The pair have not raced since the Norwich Union London Grand Prix last August when Gatlin won after Powell pulled up injured. Gatlin leads the head to heads in previous meetings with six wins to the Commonwealth champion's three. Last Friday in Qatar, Gatlin stunned the athletics world by equalling the world 100m record and doing it so early in the season. Having only raced once before in 2006, Gatlin ran 9.86 in his heat before producing 9.77 with a following wind of 1.7mps in the final. "This was a perfect race," the 24-year-old said. Powell, who has run 9.95 this year, retorted by saying: "He (Gatlin) borrowed the record. I will get it back. I am capable of running 9.60." The pair are also both scheduled to meet in Athens on July 3, where Powell set his record last year. The current edition of Athletics Weekly went to press on Tuesday afternoon and hit the newsstands and subscribers' letter boxes on Thursday morning. Unfortunately, however, news broke on Wednesday morning that Justin Gatlin had equalled the world 100m record, not broken it. So our apologies for our misleading headline on our front cover - it was beyond our control. From
issue 61-20 of Athletics Weekly.
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