Bolt can be beaten, says Powell

Singapore: Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell says he can catch countryman and world`s fastest man Usian Bolt when the two face off next year.

"Usian is the target right now and I`m shooting at him," Powell told reporters in Singapore while promoting next year`s Youth Olympic Games. "I know that I can do it." Powell, who has run a personal best of 9.72 seconds in the 100 meters, will square off against Bolt and American Tyson Gay in the IAAF Diamond League, a new circuit for the top-tier of track and field starting in 2010, a year with Olympics or World Championships on the schedule.Bolt, the 100-meter and 200-meter world record holder and a three-time Olympic champion, ran a record 9.58 seconds at Berlin in August, a mark Powell said can be beat. "I knew 9.5 was possible," he said. "I`m not sure if 9.4 is possible, but I`m 100 percent sure that you`ll see some very fast times next year." Gay ran a 9.69 at Shanghai in September.Powell said the 6-foot 5 (1.96-meter) Bolt has an edge over smaller competitors during the second half of races, but is slower at the start. "I have an advantage because I`m shorter than him so I can get out of the starting block faster, while he`s taller so he`s stronger at the end," Powell said. Bureau Report