Bolt beats Powell in showdown of world's fastest men

KINGSTON: World 100m record holder Usain Bolt defeated his closest rival Asafa Powell to qualify for the Beijing Olympics on Saturday, but his coach remained tight-lipped about whether he will run in the prestige event.

In what had been billed as the clash of the world's two fastest men, Bolt ran 9.85 to finish first in Jamaica's Olympic trials, while Powell, the former record holder, clocked 9.97 seconds.

Bolt took the world record from Powell last month when he lowered the mark to 9.72 at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York.