Shangai: Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell is looking to bounce back quickly from a minor hamstring injury he suffered last week with a strong performance in the 100 metres at today's Shanghai Diamond League meet.
American David Oliver will also attempt to defend his 18-race win streak in the 110-metre hurdles against a group including Chinese Olympic champion Liu Xiang.
Powell injured his hamstring during a 200-metre race last weekend at the Jamaica International Invitational in Kingston, finishing in last place.
The former 100-metre world record holder said he didn't expect the injury to affect him in Shanghai, where he'll face a stiff challenge from American Michael Rodgers, who was third in the 100 in Kingston in a time of 9.96 seconds.
"I got a small injury and I didn't want to hurt myself anymore, so I pretty much stopped early," Powell said on Friday. "I'm good now, and I'm in good shape."
Usain Bolt, who won the 200 metres at the Shanghai Diamond League last year, is not competing this year. American Tyson Gay is also skipping Shanghai, running a 150-metre race in Manchester today.
Bolt, Gay and Powell have not raced each other in the 100 metres since the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, where Bolt set a new world record of 9.58 seconds.
Powell plans to race Bolt and Gay separately in summer as part of his preparations for the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, in August.
"It's good for me that I can meet them before the championships," he said. "It gives me a confidence boost to know where I'm at in training and what I need to work on."
