Big personal best for Powell in 400 metres

Olympic 400m hurdles champion Melaine Walker won her pet event, but the performance on most people's lips, was Asafa Powell's huge 400 metres personal best at the Sydney Track Classic in Australia on yesterday.

At the meet, which points can be acquired by athletes to qualify for the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final, to be held on 12-13 September in Greece. Powell, despite his fourth place finish, stopped the clock at 45.94 seconds.

Powell, a 100m specialist, bettered his previous best of 47.17 to finish behind Sean Wroe (45.28), America's Xavier Carter (45.75) and Australian Kurt Mulcahy (45.84).

B-qualifying mark

Powell's time, a B-qualifying mark for the Berlin World Championships, got him in ahead of Australia's Commonwealth champion John Steffensen (45.98), Athens relay silver medallist Clinton Hill (46.33), Australian title-holder and Olympic semi-finalist Joel Milburn (46.51) and Jamaican Sanjay Ayre (47.02).

Powell, who said he just followed his coach Stephen Francis' instruction to "cruise for the first 200m and bring it home", was extremely pleased with his performance.

"This tells me I'm a lot stronger this year and it will be a different ball game," he was quoted on the IAAF website as saying.

He added the performance was a motivation. "The 400m didn't hurt as much as I thought it would," he added.

Walker, in the 400m hurdles, secured victory in 55.50, beating Australian Lauren Boden (56.63).

More fun for me

After the race, Walker told the IAAF: "I did it last year and it was more fun for me ... but after the Olympics it's not fun anymore. You absolutely have to do what you're supposed to do."

Jana Rawlinson, the world champion over the distance and the athlete Walker desperately want to beat, did not take part.

Walker reaction was: "I guess when the time is right an athlete knows ... when the time is right, we will race."

In the shorter sprints, Shericka Williams, the Olympics 400m silver medalist, won the women's 200m in 22.93. Brigitte Foster-Hylton was fourth in 23.57.

In the 100m, Williams recorded 11.57 for second behind Australian Sally McLellan (11.39).

A MVP quartet of Barbadian Andrew Hinds, Ainsley Waugh, Nesta Carter and Powell recorded 38.62 to take the sprint relay.