Gay says record may fall in showdown with Powell

American sprint king Tyson Gay predicted yesterday the world record could fall in his 100 metres showdown with Jamaican record holder Asafa Powell at the World Championships in Osaka this weekend.

"Everything I have been hearing about the track and the surface is that it is supposed to be strictly fast," Gay told a news conference. "So, I believe it is very possible for a world record to be broken at this track meet."

The meeting with Powell will be their first this year and Gay predicted a time of 9.80 or faster will be needed to win on Sunday.

"I feel really good," Gay said. "It (the showdown with Powell) is what everyone has been waiting for."

Powell first set his world record of 9.77 seconds in 2005, then tied it twice last year. Suspended American Justin Gatlin also has a share of the world record but would lose it if his doping suspension is upheld.

Meanwhile, Gay has surged into the 100 metres spotlight with a slightly wind-assisted time of 9.76 seconds - one hundreth of a second under Powell's record - and several outstanding times into a head wind.

Powell's season has been less sensational with a best of 9.90 seconds.