Powell wins 100 in Commonwealth Games tuneup
By Brad Van Wely, The Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia — Asafa Powell won the 100 meters in 10.29
seconds on Thursday at a tuneup for the Commonwealth Games,
finishing well off his world record of 9.77 seconds.
Powell, who returned to competition in January after missing six
months with a groin injury, beat Trinidad's Darrel Brown by 0.05
seconds at an IAAF World Tour event. Australia's Joshua Ross was
third in 10.41.

"I was quite nervous out there," Powell said. "I haven't been on the
(Melbourne) track for almost a year now, so I need the confidence.
But I'm the world record holder and I had to prove that I am."

James Godday of Nigeria won the 400 meters in 45.65 seconds, Cosmas
Rono of Kenya took the 800 in 1:46.81 and Australia's Kym Howe
captured the women's pole vault at 14 feet, 9 inches.

In the 100, a false start was called but not until the sprinters had
gone 40 meters. The delay appeared to unsettle a few contenders, but
Powell was strong on the restart.

"The first start was awesome," the Jamaican said. "If I had gotten
that start in Athens, I would run maybe 9.6 seconds. I'm quite happy
that I got it over with. It's over and done with so I can look
forward to the Commonwealth Games."

Earlier, Powell ran a strong anchor leg in the 4x400-meter relay to
guide Jamaica to victory in 38.72 seconds, ahead of Australia and
New Zealand.

Powell has yet to win a major international competition after
finishing fifth at the Athens Olympics. He set his world record in
the 100 last June in Athens, but was injured two weeks later at
Jamaica's national trials and missed the world championships in
August.

This event is one of 12 Grand Prix meets in the second tier of the
new World Athletics Tour. The top group consists of six IAAF Golden
League and six Super Grand Prix meets and ends with the World
Athletics Final at Stuttgart, Germany.

Breuer sues track body over suspension

STUTTGART, Germany — Former world relay champion Grit Breuer is
suing track and field's ruling body for lost income during her three-
year doping suspension.

The 400-meter runner, who retired last year, is seeking $357,000
from the IAAF for lost money from competition and sponsorships. The
trial starts Tuesday.

Breuer is following the lead of training partner Katrin Krabbe, who
was awarded $832,000 after the two Germans' suspension following a
1992 positive test for the banned substance clenbuterol.

Krabbe, who won 100 and 200 at the 1991 world championships, settled
with the IAAF for an undisclosed sum. It was the first time the
organization was forced to pay damage claims in a doping case.

An IAAF decision to add two years to their doping ban in August 1993
was at the center of Krabbe's suit. The two runners already had
served a one-year suspension handed to them by the German Athletics
Federation.

Breuer returned from her suspension to win the 400 at the 1998
European championships as well as a world championship relay gold
and silver and a bronze at the 1996 Olympics.

Krabbe and Breuer were coached at the time of their positive test by
Thomas Springstein, who is on trial again for allegedly giving a
teenage girl he was training performance-enhancing drugs.

Springstein's case made news when e-mails surfaced that raised
suspicions the German coach was looking into gene doping, which
experts believe isn't possible yet, but could be a danger by the
2008 Olympics.