Asafa Powell happy to be back on track

Asafa Powell will have to watch from the sideline as his Jamaican teammates compete in the upcoming Commonwealth Games, but the world-class sprinter says he is happy to be running again after a year away from the track.

Earlier this week, Powell had his 18-month doping ban reduced to six months, allowing him to race at a meet in Lucerne on Tuesday. He finished third in the 100 meters with a time of 10.30.

“My first race back in over a year ... getting back into the groove of it!” he wrote on Facebook. “It’s only gonna get better from here.”

Powell and fellow Jamaican Sherone Simpson were found to have the stimulant Oxilofrine in their systems last summer. Taking their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, they argued that the banned substance came from a tainted supplement.

Though the court has yet to release a full explanation, officials agreed to reduce their penalties.

The ruling was not issued until after Jamaica had named its team for the Commonwealth Games, which begin on July 23 in Glasgow.