Powell wins warm-up, confident for Beijing

Asafa Powell celebrates after winning the 100m final at the Aviva London Grand PrixPhoto Gallery>>(BEIJING, July 26) -- Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell comfortably won the Men's 100m race in 9.94 seconds at the Aviva London Grand Prix, part of the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) World Athletics Tour, on July 25.

"The race did not quite go as expected but felt easy," Powell said on the IAAF website.

"A bit more work to do and everything should be fine for Beijing. The way I am running at the moment I feel I am in the best shape I have been in."

The former 100m world record-holder only finished fifth at the 2004 Athens Games. He is preparing for this year's shot at a medal in Beijing by participating in a series of warm-up runs in Europe.

At the Grand Prix in Stockholm on July 22, Powell edged out his compatriot Usain Bolt, who took his record (9.74 seconds) in June at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York when Bolt finished with a time of 9.72 seconds.