Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell set a new 100 metre world record on Sunday, when he ran the distance in 9.74 seconds.

Powell managed this staggering performance during a qualifying heat at a grand prix in the Italian city of Rieti. He lowered the record by 0.03 seconds, the previous 9.77- seconds mark being shared with American sprinter Justin Gatlin.

Gatlin finished the 100 metre race in 9.77 seconds in March last year, just a few months before receiving an eight-year ban from track and field for allegedly using banned substances to improve his performances.

Powell shattered the world record for the first time two years ago in Athens, managing to match the same performance twice over the following years.

On Sunday, he ran the preliminary race with a strong tail wind, slightly below the maximum allowed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Thus, the record set by the 24-year-old sprinter is valid.

Despite holding the world record, Powell hasn’t won any major events. His biggest achievements are a bronze medal at 100 metres and a silver one clinched at the 4x100 m relay, both won at this year’s World Championships held in Osaka, Japan.

In the 100 m final he finished third behind American Tyson Gay and Bahamas’ representative Derrick Atkins. That was a big disappointment for him, pledging to break the record by the end of 2007 to make up for the Osaka defeat.

He missed the gold medal at the Olympic Games held in Athens three years ago, finishing on a disappointing fifth place in the 100 m final.