ROME, Sept 11: Jamaican Asafa Powell set a new men’s world 100m record of 9.74sec at the IAAF Grand Prix at Rieti, Italy, on Sunday weekend and then stated he can get faster.

Far from resting on his laurels by his performance in Italy when he beat his old mark of 9.77 set in Athens in June 2005, Powell said he is capable of running significantly quicker.

Beaten into third place by American Tyson Gay at the world championships in Osaka last month, Powell’s performance in Italy has put him back into centre stage.

“In Osaka, I was too tense,” Powell said. “I thought too much about my race and the time I was hoping to achieve. On the other hand I was very relaxed in coming here (Rieti). That means I could run 9.68.”

The 24-year-old Powell had predicted in Stockholm at the beginning of August that he felt he was capable of beating the world record this year.

When asked about his physical limits, he had said at the time they were around “9.74 or 9.73, even below 9.70.”

Powell dominated the race ahead of Norway’s Saidy Ndure Jaysuma (10.07) and 2003 world champion from St Kitts and Nevis, Kim Collins (10.14).

“After the world championships, where I made several mistakes, I worked with my coach so that I could regain my best form. Now I’m back!” he said.—AFP