Beijing will host track stars next month

The Chinese Athletics Association and the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau will organize next month in the Chinese capital one stage of the 2013 IAAF World Challenge.

It will be a test run for the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, in accordance with IAAF requirements and championships practice, according to Chinese media.

Big names are invited to compete, including Grenadian Kirani James, the London Games men’s 400m gold winner, and Jamaican Asafa Powell, men’s 4x100m gold medalist. American Justin Gatlin, London Games men’s 100m bronze medalist and Jason Richardsonof the US, winner of the 110m hurdles are also among the stars showing up.

More than 230 athletes will compete in this Beijing meeting. Organizers will offer a total prize money of 440,000 dollars with 100,000 dollars for each world record breaker.

via – www.gbtimes.com

Asafa Powell CD (born 23 November 1982) is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres. He held the 100 m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds respectively. Powell has consistently broken the 10-second barrier in competition, with his personal best of 9.72 s being the fourth fastest time in the history of the event. As of 2nd May 2012, Powell has broken the ten-second barrier legally more times than anyone else – 74 times in total. Powell competed in the 100 m at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics but failed to convert his success to the world stage, finishing fifth both times. However, in Beijing with the Jamaican team he won a gold medal and set the world and Olympic record in the 4 × 100 metres relay. At the 2007 Osaka World Championships he won a bronze and a silver medal in the 100 m and 4 x 100 m relay respectively and he has been successful at the Commonwealth Games, winning two gold and one silver medal. At the 2009 World Championships he won 100 m bronze and a relay