Powell: I will run faster and faster

Powell (above) said: 'Tyson and I enjoyed a great race against each other in Gateshead and I'm sure it will be the same in Birmingham' (REUTERS)

Asafa Powell has dominated the 100m so far this season, and the Jamaican sprinter believes he can only go "faster and faster". Powell headlines the Golden Gala in Rome today, the latest event of the elite Diamond League series.

The Jamaican ran a wind-aided 9.72 seconds to win in Oslo last week in his third major race of the year. He had the year's fastest legal time a week earlier, clocking 9.83 seconds in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Before that, he won in Doha with a wind-aided 9.81 after running a windy 9.75 in the heats.

"I'm just very excited about the way the season is going now," Powell said. "In my last race in Oslo, I had a sore groin and hamstring but the time was still very fast. I think as the season goes on I will continue to run faster and faster.

"Everything is going great with the races now and I am expecting to keep improving as the season progresses. Doha 9.75, Ostrava 9.83, Oslo 9.72. I'm excited to see what comes next."

Powell is hoping to use the absence of rivals Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay to close the gap on the duo. It is likely to be a long season for Powell culminating with the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October, with a hoped-for showdown between Jamaican team-mates Powell and Bolt in the 100 metres.