Commonwealth Games 2018: Asafa Powell withdraws from Gold Coast with hamstring injury

SPRINT kings Jamaica are out to dominate the track at the Commonwealth Games but they will have to do it without former 100m world record-holder Asafa Powell.

SPRINT kings Jamaica are out to dominate the track at the Commonwealth Games but they will have to do it without former 100m world record-holder Asafa Powell after injury cruelled his chances of competing on the Gold Coast.

Powell had been targeting a piece of history at Carrara, hoping to become the first athlete to break the 10-second barrier for the 100m for the 100th time.

But he injured his hamstring at a meet in Jamaica last month, pulling up in the heats of the 100m at the Quality Logistic meet.

Powell had hoped to be in peak form for the Games but fellow sprinter Julian Forte - who ran the third-fastest time in the world last year - said Powell would not be on the Coast.

Asked about the expected challenge from Yohan Blake and Powell in the sprints, Forte confirmed Powell is not coming.

Asafa Powell won’t be running on the Gold Coast.

“I don’t think Asafa is here but we always try for one-who-three, so hopefully we can (still) get that,” he said.

Jamaica chef de mission Dalton Myers confirmed Powell had not been selected, with injury hampering his chances.

“I know he wanted to come to the Gold Coast,” Myers said.

“He was not selected on the team.”

Originally published as Commonwealth Games 2018: Asafa Powell withdraws from Gold Coast with hamstring injury