Powell Finishes Third in Comeback Race

Sat Jan 28, 5:07 PM ET



Asafa Powell, the world record holder at 100 meters, finished third
over 400 meters in his first race in six months on Saturday.

Sidelined by a groin injury since last June, Powell was in good
position entering the final straight in the local race but eased up
with 50 meters to go.

He finished in 48.01 seconds, trailing winner Xavier Brown (47.00)
and Mario Forsythe (47.08).

Stephen Francis, Powell's coach, said the race went according to
plan.

"He ran 0.5 seconds faster than last year (in a similar race) so we
are quite satisfied with how things went," Francis said.

Powell is expected to run at another local meet on Feb. 25 before
leaving for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, in March.

Powell set a world record of 9.77 in the 100 last June in Athens,
Greece, but was injured two weeks later at Jamaica's national trials
and missed the world championships in August.