Former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell, on his return to competitive racing, ran an impressive 9.96 seconds at the Trinidad national championships on Saturday.  This was his second race of the season and first race since injuring his shoulder while lifting weights in April.

Powell started slowly behind Trinidad's Richard Thompson but caught his younger rival before the halfway mark and glided to the finish. Thompson, the U.S. collegiate champion, was second in 10.11 seconds. 

The race was run into a slight head wind and Powell conceded he was nervous at the start.

"I was a bit nervous about the conditions," Powell told Reuters. "With the rain and also the fact that it was my first race back from injury."

He ran as a guest in the semi-finals in Trinidad but didn't compete in the finals.  His coach and management wanted him to get one competitive race in before next weeks Jamaican Olympic trials where he'll face world record holder Usain Bolt.

It was Powell's 34th career sub-10 second performance and equalled the sixth-fastest time of the year.