Asafa Powell (JAM) - preliminary heats 100m - Melbourne (© Getty Images)
Asafa Powell, Jamaica's World 100m record holder, has has pulled out of meets scheduled for the coming two weekends because of a tendonitis to his knee.
He was scheduled to form part of Jamaica's sprint relay team at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, United States this weekend and the Jamaica International Invitational Meet on May 5 in Kingston.
His manager Paul Doyle said he will not run if he is not 100 per cent fit.
While saying it's the same injury that ruled him out of the Mt. Sac Relays, Doyle "it's not too serious."
"We don't want him to race at full speed if he is not 100 per cent," he said of Powell who was down to run the 100m in Kingston.
Doyle added of the Jamaica International Invitational. "There is a big possibility that he will miss that as well."
Powell had earlier made it clear that he will not race much before the World Championships.
He was quoted at the Mt. Sac Relays as saying –"I'm really not going to run that much this year before the World Championships," he continued. "But I'm going to Osaka to win gold."
The world's fastest man, however, remains in training under the watchful eyes of coach Stephen Francis in Kingston.
"He is still training, but we are just going play it day by day. We just want to play it safe," he added.
Anthony Foster for the IAAF