LUZERN, Switzerland – Former world record holder Asafa Powell heads a solid men’s 100 metres field for Tuesday’s Spitzen Leichtathletik meet in Luzern.
Powell, the second fastest man in the world this year with a time of 9.81 seconds, has looked good since returning from injuries and a short suspension, and the Jamaican champion will be hoping to improve on that form in the Swiss city.
Joining the 2006 Commonwealth Games champion at the starting line in Luzern, will be American Vaughn Clayton, who clocked 9.93 earlier this year, while Jamaica’s Andrew Fisher, who recently posted a new seasonal and personal best of 9.94 secs, also in the field.
A total of five sub-10 seconds runners will face the starter’s gun in the main lineup on Tuesday, with the 2014 Commonwealth champion Kemar Bailey-Cole (9.97) and Jamaican countryman Nesta Carter (9.98) joining the group.
Powell revealed earlier this season that he has been working on different things in this campaign to prepare for his first major championships in three years, and the two-time world 100m bronze medallist admits that they have been working perfectly.
He was beaten by world-leader Justin Gatlin in his last out in the Lausanne Diamond League, but remains confident about bouncing back.
Also competing over the 100m is 2011 world champion Yohan Blake of Jamaica.
The double Olympic silver medallist who is returning from a bad hamstring injury last year, will race in section B of the event with the likes of Michael Frater (JAM) and Kei Takase (JPN) also in his heat.
Another highlighted sprinter on the schedule to compete at the Luzern meet is 2004 and 2008 Olympic 200m gold medal winner Veronica Campbell-Brown.
The well decorated Jamaican sprint queen will compete in the women’s 200m.
Campbell-Brown, who will be competing in both the 100m and 200m at the World Championships in Beijing, next month, will attempt to improve on the 22.68 she ran earlier this year.
She will race in section A of the event against Americans Kamaria Brown and Natasha Hastings, who has stepped down from the 400m to work on her speed.
The men’s event will see Olympic bronze medallist Warren Weir starting as the favourite to win, but the Jamaican, who trains alongside Usain Bolt and Blake in Kingston, is expected to be challenged.
Weir will run in the second of the two heats which will be decided on times and he will start against Maurice Mitchell and Curtis Mitchell of USA, as well as South African 400m record holder Wayde van Niekerk.
Heat 2 will see American Dedric Dukes, the only sub-20 seconds runner in this field on the term, starting as the favourite for that group and is expected to be strongest contender to Weir, who has a personal best of 19.79, but has a 2015 best of 20.26.
American Ameer Webb and Anaso Jobodwana of South Africa, should also be in the mix at the end.
