The 21-year-old Jamaican, aiming to become the first man for 24 years to do the Olympic sprint double, started slowly but soon got into his huge loping stride and crossed the line in 10.20 seconds.

Powell, the former record holder, comfortably qualified for the quarter-finals in 10.16, the third best time of the morning, despite suffering from stomach ache.

“It felt good,” the 25-year-old told reporters. “My stomach felt bad after breakfast.”

American Gay had the closest race but looked untroubled by the hamstring injury he suffered at the U.S. trials last month and won his heat in 10.22.

“It (my hamstring) feels good,” he said. “I felt a little sluggish in the first round but my body has woke up now.”

WORLD MARK

Bolt slowed towards the end but still easily won his heat and, even if his time was well outside the 9.72 he ran to take Powell’s world mark in May, he clearly had plenty in reserve.

Powell cantered through the first 80 metres of his heat before slowing almost to a jog and allowing former world champion Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis to nearly catch him.

Britain’s Tyrone Edgar ran the quickest time of the morning session in 10.13 seconds, two hundredths faster than another Jamaican Michael Frater, who predicted a possible Caribbean sweep in the blue riband sprint.

“There’s a very good chance,” Frater said. “We’re going to have six Caribbeans in the final.”

China’s best sprinter, the bespectacled Hu Kai, got huge support from a big crowd in the 91,000-seat Bird’s Nest but finished fourth in his heat and missed out on qualification.

“I did not start well,” he said. “I didn’t feel any pressure at all, I felt excited.”

With the fastest three men of all time going head-to-head, the 100 metres is one of the most highly-anticipated events of the 10-day athletics competition.

The second round is on Friday evening with the semis and final on Saturday. (Editing by Ed Osmond)

Bolt, who set the year’s best time of 19.67 two weeks ago, broke the UK All Comers record of 19.84 held by American world champion Tyson Gay, who would be one of Bolt’s main rivals if the Jamaican decides to run in the 100 at the Beijing Games.

“It was pretty good…I came out here with a plan and I did execute it well,” the 21-year-old said.

Bolt, who could compete for a 100-200 sprint double at next month’s Games, said: “I’m still not sure about doubling in Beijing. My coach will make the decision.

“I’d definitely like to double, I think I could do well in both. But my coach hasn’t made a bad decision in five years so if he says I can only do one, I’ll do one.”

The race, into a slight head wind with persistent drizzle, was the Jamaican sprinter’s first since February.

“I was a bit nervous about the conditions,” Powell told Reuters. “With the rain and also the fact that it was my first race back from injury.”

He ran as a guest in the semi-finals in Trinidad but chose not to compete in the final, saving his energy for next weekend’s showdown with world record holder Usain Bolt in the Jamaican national championships and Olympic trials in Kingston.

Powell started slowly behind Trinidad’s Richard Thompson but caught his younger rival before the halfway mark and glided to the finish. Thompson, the U.S. collegiate champion, was second in 10.11 seconds.

It was 25-year-old Powell’s 34th career sub-10 second performance and equaled the sixth-fastest time of the year.

Powell injured his right shoulder while lifting weights in April.

Countryman Bolt has since taken the world record with a stunning run of 9.72 seconds in New York. Powell’s previous record was 9.74 seconds set in 2007.

Source: Reuters

What is remarkable is that when he began to train with Glen Mills, almost four years ago, Bolt would have completed the event using even fewer strides, but he would have been nowhere close to Asafa Powell’s world record.

When Mills took over as Bolt’s coach, he immediately recognised that there were significant flaws in the youngster’s technique. It was easy enough for the man, who has coached some of Jamaica’s best contemporary sprinters from high school to the international level.

Others transformed

Some of his charges have included Camperdown High School greats Leroy Reid and Carey Johnson, as well as Olympian Raymond Stewart. He also transformed Vincentian Kim Collins from an average performer into the Commonwealth Games and World Champion he is today.

To hear Mills talk about Bolt’s technical flaws, it would be hard to imagine that the 21-year-old world record holder had actually run the 200 metres in 19.93 seconds at age 16. He is still the only athlete to run that fast at that age.

Read the rest of this story at the Jamacia Gleaner

There had been hopes that Bolt appear in the French capital for what would have been a mouthwatering race with Gay on July 18.

But Bolt has rejected an invitation to appear at the Stade de France, the Jamaican preferring to prepare for the Olympic Games without meeting one of his nearest rivals – at least for the moment.

“Bolt doesn’t wish to face Gay a second time. He wants to run peacefully,” said meet director Gérard Rousselle.

Ricky Simms, Bolt’s agent confirmed his absence but refused to rule out the possibility of a showdown before this summer’s Olympic Games.

Eurosport UK

Zimbabwas Brian Dzingai finished second in a season-best 20.17 with American John Capel running 20.71 to finish third.