Athletcis: Asafa Powell believes the rivalry between himself and joint 100 metres world-record holder Justin Gatlin will lead to him dipping beneath the 9.70 seconds barrier.
"Yeah, I don't see why not," said the 23-year-old who will compete in the UK's first major domestic meeting of the year, the Norwich Union British Grand Prix in Gateshead on Sunday.
"Both of us want it for ourselves," said the Commonwealth champion, adamant he can again make it his sole property, after Gatlin equalled his 12-month old record of 9.77secs a month ago.
The Jamaican firmly believes the intense rivalry between himself and his American opponent will be the spark which will ignite him to take the world record into a new era.
"I'll be going for it, to separate us again, and I know I've got plenty of gas in my tank," said Powell, who will meet Gatlin in a head to head next month at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix.
The pair should have faced each other on Tyneside this weekend, but Gatlin's agent Renaldo Nehemiah withdrew his sprinter, saying no contract had been signed for them to race each other so early in the season.
Instead Nehemiah, supported by Powell's agent Paul Doyle, believes the pair should have only a handful of clashes this year.
Powell agreed, saying: "It's the biggest thing people want to see this summer and I think we shouldn't race each other more than twice."
Gatlin may have shown faster form so far this season, but Powell is adamant he will eventually remedy the situation in a schedule which does not finish until September. PA