Powell fully fit for Rome Golden League

ROME, July 12 (Reuters) World 100 metres record holder Asafa Powell has declared himself fully fit and ready to make his comeback from injury at the Golden League meeting in Rome tomorrow.

The 24-year-old sprinter, who picked up a groin injury winning the 100 at the Jamaican national championships on June 23, made his first track outing in more than two weeks on Tuesday when he anchored the Jamaican sprint relay team to victory in Lausanne.

''Since I was just coming back and Lausanne was very cool conditions we decided I should take it easy. It was just a test run to see whether the injury was OK,'' Powell told a news conference today.

''Injuries are part of the sport, but it's going well now so tomorrow I'll try to do my best.'' His nearest rival in Rome is expected to be Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas, who has burst onto the international scene this year with wins in his last four 100 races, including at the last Golden League meeting in Paris.

Powell's fastest time of 2007 -- a 9.94 second victory at the first Golden League meeting in Oslo last month -- is just one hundredth of a second quicker than Atkins's best, which he set in Athens last week.

''Someone asked me at the beginning of the season who would be my toughest competitor and I said I didn't know. I told them there could be someone who just pops up during the season. And here's Atkins, he's running well,'' said Powell.

Atkins's emergence, along with the Americans Tyson Gay and Walter Dix, who hold the two quickest times of 2007, had increased interest around the event, said Powell.

''Last year the 100 metres was only about Asafa Powell, but this year there's Gay and Atkins and all the others that are coming up.

''That's what the sport needs. It's very positive for me as well because it gives me motivation to run faster.'' Asked whether he planned to face either Gay or Dix ahead of the start of the world championships in Osaka, Japan on Aug. 25, Powell replied: ''I think that's unlikely. I'm not going to race much between now and then.'' Atkins, who is distantly related to Powell, said he was looking forward to his first race against the world record holder.

''In previous years I was still learning how to run and I didn't have the chance to race against him,'' he said.

''Tomorrow we'll see how it goes. My plan is just to run my best, execute my race.'' Reuters BJR RN2002