I remember, back in the early 80s, how Carl Lewis was billed as the "world's fastest man" before the Olympic Games. He was a truly impressive runner, but his records are long consigned to history.

Last week, as I write this, the Jamaican runner Asafa Powell set a new world record for the 100 meter dash, with a time of 9.74 seconds. He set this record at the World Championships, in Japan.

9.74 seconds is really fast. I won't tell you my speed on the 100 meter; it's too embarrassing. Let's just say that I won't be getting close to any records any time soon. Or even any time not soon, for that matter.

Be that as it may, Asafa Powell does set records. And I do mean that in the plural, since the record he broke with this 9.74 was his own, which he'd set back in 2005. He's an excellent runner, although he seems to give poor Olympic performances; to date, his only Olympic medal is a bronze, from the last summer games. I hope that breaking his own world record will help him to keep up his confidence. Track and field has been dominated by Americans for so long that it's nice to see someone else win for a change. (Is that an unpatriotic sentiment? I do like rooting for the home team, but Jamaicans have a cool accent!)

So, if you want to read more about this runner, and his remarkable time, check out this link to a news story about it:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sa/news?slug=ap-worldrecord-100&prov=ap&type=lgns

Notice this, especially:

Michael Johnson, the world record holder at both 200 and 400 meters, criticized Powell during the worlds last month, saying the Jamaican is "not a great competitor." Johnson said Powell gave up in Osaka when he was overtaken by Gay in the final 40 meters.

"He's not a great competitor, you can see it in his eyes," Johnson wrote in his column for the British Broadcasting Corp. "He can learn to be a great competitor, but first you have to admit that you're not."

I think that's a most interesting comment, and it goes along with something I have said here before: that the real competition comes from within.