MELBOURNE, Australia (CMC):

There have only been four sub-10 times ever run on Australian soil but resurgent Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell hopes to change all that come tomorrow.

Once the world's fastest man, Powell will seek to run the first sub-10 time in a 100 metres for almost 10 years Down Under, when he races at the IAAF Grand Prix at the Olympic Park.

To date, only American Maurice Greene, Namibian Frankie Fredericks and Trinidadian Ato Boldon have dipped below the 10-second barrier, with Greene having performed the feat in 1998 and at the Sydney Olympics two years later.

Powell, who finished fourth in the 400 metres at the Sydney Track Classic last Saturday, said he was eager to write his name into the record books in Australia.

"Sub-10 is easy, so is 9.8. I really want to go below 10 seconds," said Powell, whose last nine races over 100 metres have come back at below 10 seconds, including seven under 9.9.

An exciting year

"It's going to be an exciting year, I'm right behind Usain (Bolt) and trying to make my way to the top."

Greene holds the fastest time in Australia with 9.87 seconds in 2000, with Fredericks having run 9.94 in 1999 and Bolden clocking 9.99 also in 2000.

In his previous outings Down Under, Powell clocked an easy 10.3 seconds at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and also cruised to an uncomplicated 10.04 seconds at the Melbourne Track Classic last year.

The 26-year-old, who is gearing up for the World Championships in Berlin in August, said he believed he could easily cover 9.99 seconds, but admitted though 9.94 was also a possibility, that time would be more of a challenge.

Powell might find his quest somewhat challenging as he will wrestle not only against the weight of history, but against an anticipated strong headwind and inclement weather.

One of his worries won't be competition though, as training partner Nesta Carter, a member of Jamaica's gold-medal winning sprint relay team in Beijing, will be his only real challenge in the 100 metres field.