January 18, 2006	Wednesday	Zilhaj 17, 1426

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MELBOURNE,(Australia), Jan 17: The world’s fastest man Asafa Powell is expected to compete at the Commonwealth Games after recovering from injury problems that kept him out of the world championships, a report said on Tuesday.

Powell’s manager Paul Doyle said the 100m world record holder was still experiencing some groin soreness but insisted he remained on track for the Games in Melbourne in March.

“(Asafa) still has a little tightness there, which is probably something he doesn’t need, but he is ahead of where he was at this stage last year,” he was quoted as saying by The Age newspaper.

Doubts had been raised over his participation at the Games, where some 4,500 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations will compete, after his Jamaican teammate Sandie Richardson suggested he might not come.

Richardson reportedly said competing in Melbourne might jeopardise Powell’s participation in higher priority events such as the World Cup in Athens in September and the European Grand Prix circuit.

But Doyle said he expected Powell to be in Australia for the Games.

Powell is training in Kingston with world silver medallist Michael Frater, which Doyle said would help his preparations enormously.

Powell picked up his injury at the Jamaican national championships after running a world record 9.77 seconds in Athens in June last year.

Meanwhile, American, World and Olympic 100-metres champion Justin Gatlin is also on the Caribbean island, training with Shawn Crawford. He has said he wants to lower the world record to 9.75 seconds.—AFP