One of the major drawing cards of the Milo Western Relays is the chance for fans to see some of the island’s senior athletes race early in the season.

The meet was not held at its customary venue at the Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay, but instead at the GC Foster College and it drew a massive crowd who got to see some great running from quite a few of the country’s Olympians.

MVP Track Club is ever present at the relays and two of their veterans — Asafa Powell and Nesta Carter — featured in the men’s 4x100m relay.

Carter ran the lead off leg, while Powell was on anchor as MVP finished second in 39.31s behind Sprintec Track Club (39.21s) which has its base at GC Foster College.

Former national champion Oshane Bailey anchored for Sprintec and was able to hold off Powell down the homestretch, but the former world record holder was not bothered by finishing second.

“The plan was to come out here and enjoy myself today, I wasn’t expecting anything great.. I missed four months of training so this was like a fresh-foot run for me today and I felt great,” said a smiling Powell.

Despite effectively missing out on his pre-season, the “Sub-10 King” believes that with the World Championships being held late this year, he has enough time to work himself into perfect shape once more.

“It’s a long season, it’s a very long season, so I think I am where I want to be or where I am supposed to be, no rush for this season, I am just taking it step by step,” he explained.

The lingering question of when he will finally make it to 100 sub-10 clockings in the 100m is one the 36-year-old targets this year.

“I have my eyes set on the 100 sub-10s. I am doing really well in training, training is going great, so I don’t see why I am not going to hit the 100 and go way over,” said Powell.

Another World Championships appearance is also on the list of things to do in 2019.

“(I am) definitely working towards that, I cannot run in the 100m finals if I am not on the team, so that’s the first goal, to get to the World Championships and then get to the finals,” reasoned the seasoned professional.

There have been complaints in some quarters about the scheduling of the National Championships in what might be considered its usual time of June 20-23, considering the lateness of the World Championships, which will be held in late September to early October in Doha, Qatar.

The scheduling is a non-issue for Powell, however, as he trusts his coach to get the preparations correct.

“It all comes down to the coach, he knows how to schedule the training. He knows how to plan his training, so I don’t think it will be a major issue,” he assured.

— Dwayne Richards