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Powell, Lemaitre headline Marseille meet

Marseille - Former world 100m record holder Asafa Powell will clash with home star Christophe Lemaitre, defending European sprint silver medallist, at a track and field meet in Marseille on Saturday.

"I feel great after a good start to the season, injury-free," said the 32-year-old Jamaican, who held the world record (9.72 and 9.74s) between June 2005 - May 2008.

"I can't see why I won't find my best form and I think that my best is yet to come."

Powell, who has this season run a best of 9.84s in Kingston, insisted that his compatriot Usain Bolt would be the person to beat come August's world championships in Beijing and not in-form American Justin Gatlin.

Gatlin has clocked a season's best of 9.74s and on Thursday went one-hundredth of a second slower in Rome to send a warning to Bolt, who will be seeking to defend treble gold in the Chinese capital.

"The man to beat will be Usain Bolt," Powell said.

The Marseille meet will inaugurate the newly-refurbished 4 200-seater Stade Delort and its entry into the "Pro Athle Tour" circuit, with organisers having also managed to sign up Cuba's Olympic 110m hurdles champion Dayron Robles and American Lolo Jones for the women's 100m hurdles.

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