Asafa Powell was pushed to the tape but managed to win his second straight 100m race on Friday at the London grand prix.  The former world-record holder recorded his 38th sub-10 seconds time by winning in 9.94 seconds into a 0.5 metres per second headwind.

"The way I am running at the moment I feel I am in the best shape I have been in," said Powell, who also won in Golden Galan meet in Sweden on Tuesday. 

"There are a lot of people running fast at the moment and I don't see any one athlete as being my main competitor," Powell said.

He got his typical good start but his drive phase looked a bit off as he only managed to separate himself from the field at about the 70m.  

"The race did not quite go as expected but felt easy," Powell said. "A bit more work to do and everything should be fine for Beijing."

It was close at the finish, as Trinidadian Marc Burns got second in 9.97 and Powell's teammate, Michael Frater third in a personal best of 10.00 seconds.  Another Jamaican, Nesta Carter, was sixth in 10.04 seconds.

There was another Jamaican winner on the day as Sherone Simpson struck gold in the women's 200m.  Her winning time was 22.70 seconds.  American Bianca Knight, 22.79 was second while Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of the Bahamas was third in 22.84.  American super girl, Allyson Felix, finished a surprising fourth in 23.00 seconds flat.

Shot-putter, Dorian Scott, failed to maintain the form that saw him take second in Stockholm as his heave of 20.12 meters was only good enough for sixth.  American Reese Hoffa won the event with a put of 21.13 meters.

In the women's 400m, Sonita Sutherland, 53.46, placed sixth in a race won by Britain's World Championship gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu. Ohuruogu's winning time was 50.80 ahead of her compatriot Nicola Sanders, 51.27.

Korene Hinds placed third in the women's 3000 Metres Steeplechase with a time of 9:40.02 behind Roisin McGettigan of Ireland, 9:33.76, and Ancuta Bobocel of Romania, 9:37.45.

Tomorrow’s second day will see man of the moment, Usain Bolt, go for another win in the 200m.  Bolt lowered the Jamaican national 200m record on July 13 in Athens at the Tsiklitiria Athens Grand Prix.  His winning time of 19.67 seconds (wind -0.5 m/s) is also a world leading time for 2008.