Jamaican 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell has withdrawn from all competition until late June so he can recover from a pulled chest muscle, his manager told Reuters on Monday.
The move is precautionary and the injury to Powell's pectoral muscle is not expected to affect the Jamaican's long-range preparations for August's Beijing Olympics, Paul Doyle told Reuters in a telephone interview from his home in Atlanta.
His race with American world champion Tyson Gay is expected to be one of the highlights of the Games, which begin on August 8.
"The pec injury will keep him out for a little while and as a result we feel it is best that he get more training in and wait to compete till much later," Doyle said.
"We don't expect there is anything to be concerned about beyond the end of June," he added.
Powell will miss competitions in Doha in May and in Oslo and Eugene, Oregon, in June as he recovered, Doyle said.
His first race back is expected to be the Jamaican championships in late June.
TIME TO HEAL
Powell pulled the muscle while weightlifting in Jamaica two weeks ago. He withdrew from recent relay races in California and Philadelphia before deciding to end his early season until the muscle healed.
"He is disappointed," Doyle said. "He loves to compete but he understands the bigger picture is getting ready for the Olympic Games. If he was to rush back and get ready for these meets (in May and June) the further on in the summer he may suffer."
The injury affects Powell's arm movement.
"He is fine walking around, but he can't aggressively drive his arms," Doyle said earlier.
"He has seen four or five different people and they all say the same thing. That it will take a little bit of time for that to calm down and recover," Doyle added.
"Until then he cannot go 100 per cent."
The setback is the second for Powell this season.
He cut his left knee while falling down stairs at his home in Jamaica, which forced him to miss a race in Sydney in February.
He recovered in time to run 10.04 seconds for 100 metres at a meeting in Melbourne. His record of 9.74 seconds was set in 2007.
