Asafa Powell said he is injury free and is making toppling compatriot Usain Bolt from his pedestal a priority. The Jamaican sprinter is looking forward to his return to indoor competition for the first time in eight years.
Powell stepped away from the indoor circuit after he hurt his groin at a meet and tore his hamstring at another. “So that kind of scared me from indoors,” Powell said. “I’m over all of that now. I don’t like indoors for the mere fact that it’s so cold at that time of year. I think I’ll run faster to the building than inside.”
Powell, 29, suffered season-ending injuries outdoors over the last two seasons, but he said he’s back to full fitness. “I’m very confident I’m over them. The thing is I know my downfalls. I know my problems, and my problems are injuries.”
The indoor meets are part of Powell’s plans for this season that includes the Olympic Games, where he hopes to win a medal and even conquer Bolt. “I think most likely this will be my last Olympics so I’m going all out for this one,” he said. “I know that I can run some very fast times, the times that Usain is running right now. If I don’t beat Usain, I think I’ll beat my personal best. I can’t control what Usain does. I can only control myself.”
Powell is set to face a field that includes Olympic silver medallist Trinidad & Tobago’s Richard Thompson and former Olympic 100 metres champion Justin Gatlin of the United States over 50m on 28 January in the inaugural US Open. The 50m is rarely run, but Powell has a personal best of 6.56 seconds in the 60.
Bolt is looking forward to the Olympics. “This season is wonderful,” he said. “I’ve been training hard and everything’s been going spectacular. I can’t complain. Doing a lot of strength work and lot of exercise, so I’m trying to keep the injuries away, so that’s the main focus.”
Healthy and on a new nutrition programme, Bolt plans to launch his schedule to defending his Olympic titles with tune-up races in Jamaica next month.
“I always run quarters (400m) before the season and I will be starting in February,” Bolt said. “I think I will run at least two this season.”
Some relay races will also likely be on the early programme as Bolt returns to a more traditional warm up for high-powered sprint races later in the season. An injury slowed the launch of his 2011 season until May, but previously he had always made test runs in late January or February to break up training.
“Last year was hard. I started the season off a little bit injured. I had to change a lot of things.”
But aside from a false start that cost him a chance to defend his 100m world title, the world record holder said he was pleased with the way his year ended.
“A lot of people may talk, but they don’t know what I went through,” said the International Association of Athletics Federations male athlete of the year.
“I came back at the world championships and I won a medal, I ran a fast time and I was unbeaten,” said the lanky Jamaican who successfully defended his world 200m crown and anchored Jamaica to a world record in the 100m relay.
“So for me, last season was probably one of my best seasons that I have ever had taking into consideration the work that I could put in (and what) I had to go through.”
Bolt trains with world 100m champion Yohan Blake who had a blistering 200m in 19.26 seconds at the Brussels Diamond League meeting last year, which was the second fastest time ever the distance.
Blake said: “That’s the way to go. It’s a really good feeling. Coach Glen Mills prepare me for all of these moments. Going into the 2012 season I think there is going to be a lot of expectation, but I’m just going out there coming off good form. I think I can’t lose it.”
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