LONDON -- Even without his two biggest rivals in the race, Asafa Powell was pushed all the way to the tape Friday in the 100 meters at the London Grand Prix.
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He won in 9.94 seconds at Crystal Palace to claim his second victory at the distance this week.
"The way I am running at the moment I feel I am in the best shape I have been in," said Powell, who also won in Stockholm on Tuesday in a race that included world record holder Usain Bolt, Powell's Jamaican teammate.
"There are a lot of people running fast at the moment and I don't see any one athlete as being my main competitor," Powell said.
He got off to good start Friday despite running into a headwind, but most of the field stayed with him until the midway point. However, instead of easing across the finish line, Powell had to keep pushing because the pack caught up to make it close at the finish.
"The race did not quite go as expected but felt easy," Powell said. "A bit more work to do and everything should be fine for Beijing."
Marc Burns of Trinidad and Tobago was second in 9.97, and Michael Frater of Britain was third in 10.00.
Powell, who has yet to win an Olympic gold medal, is expected to come up against world champion Tyson Gay and Bolt at the Beijing Games, which Open Aug. 8.
Bolt broke Powell's 100 record in May, running 9.72 in New York. He decided to skip the 100 in London and will run Sunday in the 200. He is undecided about running in both the 100 and 200 in Beijing.
Powell beat Bolt in the 100 in Stockholm, running 9.88 to win.
"The Jamaicans are running quite well," Powell said.
Gay pulled out of the 100 at the London meet because he is nursing a hamstring injury from the U.S. Olympic trials last month.
Yelena Isinbayeva struggled to get going in the women's pole vault, and then took three attempts at another world record.
