Former 100 meters world record holder Asafa Powell ran an impressive 9.96 seconds on his return to competition from a shoulder injury at the Trinidad national championships in Port of Spain on Saturday.

The race, into a slight head wind with persistent drizzle, was the Jamaican sprinter's first since February.

"I was a bit nervous about the conditions," Powell said. "With the rain and also the fact that it was my first race back from injury."

He ran as a guest in the semifinals in Trinidad but chose not to compete in the final, saving his energy for next weekend's showdown with world record holder Usain Bolt in the Jamaican national championships and Olympic trials in Kingston.

"We just wanted him to get one race in before trials (Jamaica Championships on June 27-29)," Powell's manager Paul Doyle said.

Powell started slowly behind Trinidad's Richard Thompson but caught his younger rival before the halfway mark and glided to the finish. Thompson, the US collegiate champion, was second in 10.11 seconds.

It was 25-year-old Powell's 34th career sub-10 second performance and equaled the sixth-fastest time of the year.

Powell injured his right shoulder while lifting weights in April.

Countryman Bolt has since taken the world record with a stunning run of 9.72 seconds in New York. Powell's previous record was 9.74 seconds set in 2007.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily June 23, 2008)