MONTEGO BAY, St James — Former world's fastest man Asafa Powell is confident Jamaica will continue to produce world-class sprinters even after he has hung up his spikes.

Powell, who broke the world record three times on his way to lowering his personal best to 9.72 seconds in 2008, was full of praise for two of the young rising stars on the horizon — inaugural Youth Olympic Games 100m champions Odean Skeen and repeat IAAF World Junior Championships 100m champion Dexter Lee.

"It just shows Jamaica has all this potential to give to the world," he told the Observer during a stop-over at the Sangster International Airport last Friday as he accompanied his girlfriend Yendi Phillipps on her way back from the Miis Universe competition in Las Vegas.

Powell added that for the youngsters to achieve their full potential, they need all the support they can get to ensure they develop at the rate they should.

While his own retirement is nowhere on the horizon, Powell said he felt secure that when it was time for him and double world record-holder Usain Bolt to step aside, Jamaica's place at the top of the world rankings would still be intact.

Skeen became the first winner of the Youth Olympics 100 last week when he ran a personal best 10.42 seconds to take the title in Singapore.

Earlier last month, Lee created history when he became the first man to win consecutive IAAF World Junior titles when he clocked 10.21 seconds in Moncton, Canada.

Lee, who was the first Jamaican man to win a global 100m title when he won the World Youth title in Ostrava, Czech Republic in 2007, had also won the 2008 WJC title in Poland.

A back injury had forced Powell to end his 2010 season early as doctors has advised him to cease competing for six weeks due to inflammation in his lower back.

Powell had a season best 9.82 seconds, the same as Bolt.

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