LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - Asafa Powell matched the second-fastest 100 meters ever and Usain Bolt clocked the second-fastest 200 this year as the Jamaican friends and rivals dominated the Athletissima Grand Prix on Tuesday.
Powell's time of 9.72 seconds equaled the old world record set by Bolt in New York City last May. Only Bolt has run faster, in his astonishing Olympic gold medal-winning run of 9.69 in Beijing last month.
As then, Bolt eased up before the finish line on Tuesday, crossing in 19.63 to leave himself 0.33 outside the world mark.
Powell's time was a personal best by two-hundredths and was one-tenth faster than his season's best, run in Monaco before his relative loss of form on the Olympic stage where he finished fifth.
''I'm very happy,'' Powell said. ''It's a bit late. But I'm very happy after all that I've been through this year.''
Bolt praised his fellow Jamaican whose world record, set at 9.74, he took in May.
''He (Asafa) did well tonight and I congratulate him,'' said Bolt, who ran 30 minutes after Powell electrified the Lausanne crowd. ''I guess he's doing pretty well now.''
''Usain has always had a lot of respect for me,'' Powell said. ''So if I go out there and I run fast, it's not any surprise.''
Powell got a fast start and was quickly clear of a field that included six Olympic 100 finalists.
Running hard to the line, he looked intently at the clock as he left Olympic bronze medalist Walter Dix trailing in second in 9.92. Nesta Carter of Jamaica ran a personal best of 9.98 for third, while Olympic silver medalist Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago was seventh.
Powell was on the podium receiving his prize and a long, loud ovation from the crowd of 14,000 while Bolt was preparing to run his race.
The 22-year-old Jamaican blew past American Shawn Crawford, the Olympic silver medalist in the lane outside him, on the bend and drew clear before straightening up in his stride for the final 15 meters.
''I'm tired,'' Bolt explained. ''It's been a long season, so I'm just trying to get through the season.''
Churandy Martin of the Netherlands Antilles was second in 20.24 and Wallace Spearmon of the United States third in 20.54. The first three crossed the line in the same places as in Beijing where Martin and Spearmon were both disqualified for running out of lane.
Jamaica's sprinting dominance extended to the women.
Olympic 100 champion Shelly-Ann Fraser confirmed Beijing form with a winning time of 11.03, three-hundredths ahead of her Jamaica teammate Kerron Stewart who had taken silver. Marshevet Hooker of the United States was third in 11.09.
Delloreen Ennis-London, fifth in the 100 hurdles at Beijing, overturned that result with victory in 12.60, three-hundredths ahead of American gold medalist Dawn Harper. LoLo Jones of the U.S., who seemed sure to win the Olympic title before falling near the line, was fourth.
Dayron Robles of Cuba had talked of adding a world record in Lausanne to his Olympic gold medal but suffered a surprising defeat in the men's 110 hurdles.
David Oliver of the U.S. won in 13.03 as Robles struck two of the final three obstacles, sending the last crashing.
''He's beaten me three times this year. I've beaten him twice,'' Oliver said. ''Always I was capable of running well. When you come out here and perform, that's the big thing.''
Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt was another American winner in the 400, with a time of 43.98. Merritt's teammate in the gold medal-winning 4x400 quartet, Angelo Taylor, the 400 hurdles champion, was second in 44.38.
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