His world record of 9.74 seconds, set in Rieti, Italy, on Sept. 9 was ratified today by the International Association of Athletic Federations.

Powell set the record in the second of two heats in a strong tailwind of 1.7 meters per second, but it was below the maximum allowed by the IAAF. In the final, Powell won in 9.78.

The time beat the 9.77 set three times by Powell, in Zurich, Switzerland, and Gateshead, England, in 2006 and in Athens, Greece, on June 14, 2005.

Justin Gatlin matched 9.77 in May 2006, but the American faces a suspension of up to eight years following a positive doping test for testosterone and other steroids at the Kansas Relays a month earlier.