Buoyed by an impressive run at the IAAF Diamond League Athletissima meet yesterday, which saw him clock a new world-leading time, former world's fastest man Asafa Powell can't wait to face Usain Bolt.

Powell looked in awesome form as he blew down the track to stop the clock at 9.78, the world's fastest time this year. The impressive performance come only a week after taking the national 100m title at the National Trials.

"I got a great start. We've been practising that for a very long time now. I definitely can't wait to face Usain."

"It was a fantastic run, a bit cold out there, but I managed to push through," Powell told the BBC.

Powell's compatriot Michael Frater was second in a season's best time of 9.88 seconds, and Frenchman Christopher Lemaitre ran a national record time of 9.95.

The sprinters new mark was more bad news to injured American star Tyson Gay, clipping one-hundredth of a second off his mark set on June 4 in Florida.

Powell has faced Bolt before this season, but on that occasion, at the Diamond League meet last month in Rome, the sprinter was second with Bolt running from behind to post his season's best of 9.91.

Gonzales, another Jamaican, saw off the challenge of Belarus' Kevin Borlee and Tabarie Henry of the United States Virgin Islands in the men's 400, taking victory in a time of 45.27.

Gonzales, another Jamaican, saw off the challenge of Belarus' Kevin Borlee and Tabarie Henry of the United States Virgin Islands in the men's 400, taking victory in a time of 45.27.

Borlee finished one-tenth of a second behind Gonzales, with Henry clocking 45.57, and newly minted Bahamian champion Demetrius Pinder was fourth in 45.99.

Undisputed Bahamian sprint queen Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie clocked 22.93, finishing eight-hundredths of a second behind behind Mariya Ryemyen of the Ukraine in the women's 200.

Jamaican Dwight Thomas ran 13.16, just four-hundredths of a second behind Cuba's Dayron Robles in the men's 110 hurdles, and was the only other Caribbean athlete to make it to the podium.

Sprint star Asafa Powell powered to a world-leading 9.78 seconds in the men's 100m at the Athletissima IAAF Diamond League international athletics meeting in the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne, Switzerland, yesterday. - ap