Olympic champion Justin Gatlin and Asafa Powell, the world-record holder, will meet for their eagerly-awaited first 100 metres confrontation of the year in next month's Norwich Union British Grand Prix.
Gateshead International Stadium will stage the showdown between the world's two top sprinters on June 11th in what should be a fierce head-to-head confrontation.
Gatlin (24), has always been adamant his achievement in winning the 2004 Olympic gold medal and then claiming the world title last summer was much more important than chasing world records.
But this year there are no major championships for the American to contest and he has insisted, particularly over the past few weeks, his intention is to smash his Jamaican opponent's 11-month record of 9.77 seconds this year.
McEwen claims second stage win
Australia's Robbie McEwen landed his second stage victory of the week in the Giro d'Italia yesterday. McEwen took the lead 200 metres from the end of the 193-km fourth stage and accelerated to the line to edge out Italians Paolo Bettini and Alberto Loddo, who finished second and third respectively.
McEwen captured stage two of the Giro to Charleroi on Sunday and has now won 10 stages in the last five editions of the Giro. Germany's Stefan Schumacher came home 16th in the same time as McEwen yesterday to retain the overall race lead 13 seconds ahead of last year's Giro winner, Paolo Savoldelli.
"It was a very tough sprint but I think I won it well," said McEwen, who is 71st overall, 95 seconds down on Schumacher. After the four opening stages in Belgium, the Giro continues tomorrow with the fifth stage, a 38-km team time trial between Piacenza and Cremona.
John Dillon, Galway player, dies aged 54
The death has taken place of John Dillon, a teak-tough defender with Galway footballers throughout the 1970s. The colourful St Gabriel's, Kilconnell, clubman passed away aged 54 after being ill for a number of months.
He was full back on the Galway under-21 team that defeated Kerry in 1972 to win the county's first All-Ireland title in the grade.
Throughout the remainder of that decade he was part of a Galway squad that tried, unsuccessfully, to replicate the glory years of the 1960s. A few brushes with officialdom only strengthened his resolve to succeed and in later years he turned his attention to rugby, winning a Connacht Senior Cup medal with Ballinasloe in 1992.
John Dillon's body will be removed from Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe this evening. He will be buried in his native Kilconnell tomorrow after 12 o'clock Mass in the village's Sacred Heart Church.
