WDL Classics Paris 2010: Bolt beats Powell

Live from the archive every single Sunday on the Wanda Diamond League YouTube channel, the WDL Classics series revisits historical Diamond League meetings with a re-live stream of the full two-hour TV broadcast. This week: a clash of the sprint titans in Paris.

By the midway point of the inaugural Diamond League season in 2010, the rivalry between Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell had developed into the story of the series.

Powell had thrown down the gauntlet early with two impressive – if wind-assisted – 100m wins in Doha and Oslo, while Bolt  had bitten back with a 200m meeting record in Shanghai and a 100m win in Lausanne which saw him equal Powell’s world lead of 9.82.

So when the two Jamaicans went head to head in Paris, it was fair to expect some fireworks on the track. 

As so often, it was Bolt who had the edge, clocking 9.84 to beat Powell by just 0.07 seconds and cut short his rival’s lead at the top of the Diamond League standings.

The sprint showdown was the centrepiece event of a meeting which also saw a flurry of world leads in other events, including a  14:27.41 from Vivian Cheruiyot in the women’s 5000m and a joint American record of 12.89 from David Oliver in the 110m hurdles. 

You can rewatch the 2010 Paris meeting in full on the Wanda Diamond League YouTube channel.