Jamaica celebrates sprint double in NY

NEW YORK - Asafa Powell and Veronica Campbell-Brown completed a Jamaican sprint double at the U.S. Open indoor meet at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

There were no Olympic gold medals on offer, but it was an ominous reminder ahead of this year’s London Games of the unrivalled strength of Jamaica’s crack sprinters.

Powell, almost the forgotten man of Jamaican sprinting because of the achievements of Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake, lunged at the line to win the 50-meter dash in 5.67 seconds, the fastest time in a decade for the rarely run event.

“It was weird, but it was a pretty good time for my first race of the season,” Powell said. “There’s bigger races ahead, but that’s a good way to begin.”

Campbell-Brown, who won the 200-meter gold medal at each of the last two Olympics and was part of the Jamaican relay that won in Beijing four years ago, burst out of the blocks and held on to win the women’s 50-meter dash in 6.08 seconds.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” she said. “Each race is just a preparation for what’s to come this season.”

The United States won the men’s and women’s hurdles. Terrence Trammell, a former world indoor champion, won the men’s race in 6.45 seconds. Reuters