New Delhi: No Indian has ever run the 100 metres in less than 10 seconds. Amiya Kumar Mallick, the current national record holder, has the best time of 10.26 seconds written against his name.

In stark contrast, legendary sprinter Asafa Powell, who was in the capital on Friday, had broken the 10-second barrier 98 times. He is now hoping to reach the "century" before calling it a day after the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The Jamaican star, however, was confident that sprinters in India would soon start running in less than 10 seconds.

"In Rio 100m finals, there were six runners who ran under-10. Currently there are so many people who can run sub-10s," he said.

"The sport is evolving. Athletes are getting more technical. Coaches are doing a lot more. The sport has come a long way...several athletes are now capable of going sub-10s.

"A lot has changed and it's going to get better and better as we go further. We know guys from all over the world who can run sub-10s, may be we will have guys from India who can run sub 10s soon," he added.

Powell, however, is not sure when someone would be able to break the 100m world record of 9.58 seconds, set by Usain Bolt in the 2009 World Championship in Berlin.

Powell explained that 100m record was special. "I was in that race. I was pretty much the best starter in the world and he was already ahead of me at the start. So, he had a great race. It's going to be very hard for someone to come and match that run.

"I would say the record is likely to stand for a very long time," he said.

When the 33-year-old, who held the 100-metre world record between June 2005 and May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds, was asked about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he made it clear he was not looking that far.

"I am not thinking about 2020 right now. The farthest I will be going is 2018, maybe the Commonwealth Games and that's where I see myself, just two years and not 2020," said Powell, currently in the capital as the brand ambassador for the Airtel Delhi half marathon to be held on Sunday.

Talking about the menace of doping in athletics, Powell said: "The federations need to ensure that the sport remains clean. I think they are doing their job and it's really up to them and the media to solve that problem.

Powell had tested positive for drugs in 2013 and withdrew from the World championship that year.

Though he filed a law suit against one of the supplement manufacturers and had an out-of-court settlement, he was suspended for 18 months. The suspension was later reduced to six months.

"It's not my job to say whether it is right or not. The federations are the ones in charge and they should be doing their job. I am sure they are fixing all the problems," added the sprinter, whose personal best of 9.72 seconds is the fifth-fastest time in history.