Asafa Powell: Difference between revisions
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Powell finished 3rd in the 2007 World Championship final in Osaka, Japan behind [[Tyson Gay]], who won in a time of 9.85 seconds, and was Powell's biggest rival building up to the championships. [[Derrick Atkins]], a reported second cousin of Powell's, came second in 9.91. Powell finished in a time of 9.96 seconds into a 0.5 m/s headwind after being passed by Gay and Atkins in the late stages of the race. Later, Powell did help to win a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m. Running the anchor leg of the Jamaican relay team, he came from fifth and nipped Great Britain at the line with a Jamaican national record of 37.89, while USA took the gold. |
Powell finished 3rd in the 2007 World Championship final in Osaka, Japan behind [[Tyson Gay]], who won in a time of 9.85 seconds, and was Powell's biggest rival building up to the championships. [[Derrick Atkins]], a reported second cousin of Powell's, came second in 9.91. Powell finished in a time of 9.96 seconds into a 0.5 m/s headwind after being passed by Gay and Atkins in the late stages of the race. Later, Powell did help to win a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m. Running the anchor leg of the Jamaican relay team, he came from fifth and nipped Great Britain at the line with a Jamaican national record of 37.89, while USA took the gold. |
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On [[September 9]] [[2007]], in the opening heats of the IAAF Rieti Grand Prix in [[Rieti]], [[Italy]], Powell ran a new world record time of 9.74 s (+1.7 m/s) in the 100 m, fulfilling the promise he had made earlier. He had said after his bronze medal in Osaka that he would break the record by the end of the year to make up for the disappointment of not becoming world champion.<ref>[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/09/09/100.record.ap/index.html Sports Illustrated News Article] retrieved 9 September 2007 </ref> Remarkably, Powell eased up in the final few metres of his record-setting race, indicating that he was saving his strength for a fast 100 m final at the same meet.<ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/GP07/news/kind=2/newsid=41561.html#asafa+powell+breaks+world+100m+record+secs+rieti+iaaf+athletics+tour Asafa Powell Breaks World 100 m Record]</ref> In the final, Powell ran 9.78 (0 m/s), |
On [[September 9]] [[2007]], in the opening heats of the IAAF Rieti Grand Prix in [[Rieti]], [[Italy]], Powell ran a new world record time of 9.74 s (+1.7 m/s) in the 100 m, fulfilling the promise he had made earlier. He had said after his bronze medal in Osaka that he would break the record by the end of the year to make up for the disappointment of not becoming world champion.<ref>[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/09/09/100.record.ap/index.html Sports Illustrated News Article] retrieved 9 September 2007 </ref> Remarkably, Powell eased up in the final few metres of his record-setting race, indicating that he was saving his strength for a fast 100 m final at the same meet.<ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/GP07/news/kind=2/newsid=41561.html#asafa+powell+breaks+world+100m+record+secs+rieti+iaaf+athletics+tour Asafa Powell Breaks World 100 m Record]</ref> In the final, Powell ran 9.78 (0 m/s), bettering his semi-final time when adjusted for wind assistance and altitude.<ref>[http://myweb.lmu.edu/jmureika/track/wind/index.html Wind / Altitude correction in the 100 m sprint]</ref> |
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On [[May 31]] [[2008]], fellow Jamaican [[Usain Bolt]] ran 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix in [[New York City]], taking the 100m world record from Powell after nearly three years. |
On [[May 31]] [[2008]], fellow Jamaican [[Usain Bolt]] ran 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix in [[New York City]], taking the 100m world record from Powell after nearly three years. |
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Powell placed fifth in [[Athletics_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics_-_Men%27s_100_metres|100m final]] at the [[2008 Olympic Games]] in [[Beijing]] with at time of 9.95 seconds losing out on the medals |
Powell placed fifth in [[Athletics_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics_-_Men%27s_100_metres|100m final]] at the [[2008 Olympic Games]] in [[Beijing]] with at time of 9.95 seconds, losing out on the medals again. His teammates Usain Bolt and [[Michael Frater]] also raced with Bolt winning and bettering his own world record. Frater finished sixth. |
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Powell has run 100 m in under 10 seconds 41 times,<ref>[http://asafa-powell.com/statistics.htm List of sub-10 second runs]</ref> a record to date bettered only by [[Maurice Greene (athlete)|Maurice Greene]], who has run under 10 seconds 52 times.<ref>[http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.1675841.0.0.php Brilliant Powell does it again after Osaka let-down]</ref> Powell is one of only two men to have run legally under 9.80 seconds more than once, having done so five times (Usain Bolt being the other with three sub-9.80 performances). Powell is the only man to have run legally under 10.00 seconds 12 times in a single season. |
Powell has run 100 m in under 10 seconds 41 times,<ref>[http://asafa-powell.com/statistics.htm List of sub-10 second runs]</ref> a record to date bettered only by [[Maurice Greene (athlete)|Maurice Greene]], who has run under 10 seconds 52 times.<ref>[http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.1675841.0.0.php Brilliant Powell does it again after Osaka let-down]</ref> Powell is one of only two men to have run legally under 9.80 seconds more than once, having done so five times (Usain Bolt being the other with three sub-9.80 performances). Powell is the only man to have run legally under 10.00 seconds 12 times in a single season. |
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Revision as of 13:32, 18 August 2008
 Powell leads in a heat at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Jamaica
| ||
| Men’s athletics | ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
2007 Osaka | 100 m |
 |
2007 Osaka | 4x100 m relay |
| Commonwealth Games | ||
 |
2006 Melbourne | 100 m |
|
2006 Melbourne | 4x100 m relay |
Asafa Powell (born 23 November 1982) is a Jamaican sprinter and the son of two ministers. He held the world record in the 100 m between June 2005 and May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds.
Career
Asafa Powell planned to be a mechanic before he took up running while studying in Kingston, Jamaica.[1][2] His elder brother Donovan was a 100 m semi-finalist in the 1999 World Championships.[3]
Powell first came to the attention of the athletics world at the 2003 World Championships when he suffered the ignominy of being 'the other athlete' disqualified for a false start in the quarter-final where Jon Drummond memorably refused to leave the track having suffered the same fate (both athletes moving less than 0.1 seconds after gun firing).
The following season, Powell did not perform to his usual standards for the 2004 Olympic 100 m in Athens, after clocking sub-10 seconds times a record-equaling nine times in a season. He placed fifth in the 100 m final, and subsequently pulled out of the 200 m final, for which he had already qualified earlier on.
The following year, he gained some consolation by breaking the 100 m world record, in Athens on June 14, 2005, setting a time of 9.77 s, beating American Tim Montgomery's 2002 record of 9.78 s (which was later annulled due to doping charges against Montgomery) by just one one-hundredth of a second. Coincidentally, Powell achieved the feat on the same track as Maurice Greene's 1999 world record of 9.79 s. Wind assistance for Powell was measured at 1.6 m/s, within the IAAF legal limit of 2.0 m/s.
Powell won the 2006 Commonwealth Games title easily after a drama-filled semi-final which saw two disqualifications, three false starts and Powell himself running into another competitor's lane while looking at the scoreboard (he was held not to have impeded the other runner).
Powell then equaled his world record time on June 11 2006 at Gateshead International Stadium with a time of 9.77 (+1.5 m/s). August 18, 2006, Powell ran the world record time of 9.77 (+1.0 m/s) for the third time in Zürich, Switzerland. Together with Jeremy Wariner (400 m) and Sanya Richards (400 m) he won his sixth out of six IAAF Golden League events (100 m) in the same season, which earned him a total of $250,000. On November 12 2006 he was awarded the title of 2006 Male World Athlete of the Year along with a check of $100,000.
Powell finished 3rd in the 2007 World Championship final in Osaka, Japan behind Tyson Gay, who won in a time of 9.85 seconds, and was Powell's biggest rival building up to the championships. Derrick Atkins, a reported second cousin of Powell's, came second in 9.91. Powell finished in a time of 9.96 seconds into a 0.5 m/s headwind after being passed by Gay and Atkins in the late stages of the race. Later, Powell did help to win a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m. Running the anchor leg of the Jamaican relay team, he came from fifth and nipped Great Britain at the line with a Jamaican national record of 37.89, while USA took the gold.
On September 9 2007, in the opening heats of the IAAF Rieti Grand Prix in Rieti, Italy, Powell ran a new world record time of 9.74 s (+1.7 m/s) in the 100 m, fulfilling the promise he had made earlier. He had said after his bronze medal in Osaka that he would break the record by the end of the year to make up for the disappointment of not becoming world champion.[4] Remarkably, Powell eased up in the final few metres of his record-setting race, indicating that he was saving his strength for a fast 100 m final at the same meet.[5] In the final, Powell ran 9.78 (0 m/s), bettering his semi-final time when adjusted for wind assistance and altitude.[6]
On May 31 2008, fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt ran 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York City, taking the 100m world record from Powell after nearly three years.
Powell placed fifth in 100m final at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing with at time of 9.95 seconds, losing out on the medals again. His teammates Usain Bolt and Michael Frater also raced with Bolt winning and bettering his own world record. Frater finished sixth.
Powell has run 100 m in under 10 seconds 41 times,[7] a record to date bettered only by Maurice Greene, who has run under 10 seconds 52 times.[8] Powell is one of only two men to have run legally under 9.80 seconds more than once, having done so five times (Usain Bolt being the other with three sub-9.80 performances). Powell is the only man to have run legally under 10.00 seconds 12 times in a single season.
Physical characteristics
- Height: 190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
- Weight: 88 kg (194 lb; 13 st 12 lb)
Personal bests
| Distance | Mark | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 60 m | 6.56 s | 2004 |
| 100 m | 9.74 s | 2007 |
| 200 m | 19.90 s | 2006 |
| 400 m | 47.17 s | 2007 |
Honours
60 m
| Event | Result | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th world indoor | 5th Semifinal | Budapest | 5 March 2004 |
100 m
| Event | Result (Pos) | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5th Athletic Final IAAF | 1st Final | Stuttgart | 22 September 2007 |
| 37th IAAF Rieti Grand Prix | 1st 2nd Heat | Rieti | 9 September 2007 |
| 11th IAAF World Championships | 3rd Final | Osaka | 26 August 2007 |
| 4th Athletic Final IAAF | 1st Final | Stuttgart | 9 September 2006 |
| 2006 Commonwealth Games | 1st Final | Melbourne | 20 March 2006 |
| 2nd Athletic Final IAAF | 1st Final | Monaco | 18 September 2004 |
| 2004 Olympic Games | 5th Final | Athens | 22 August 2004 |
| 1st Athletic Final IAAF | 7th Final | Monaco | 13 September 2003 |
| 2008 Olympic Games | 5th Final | Beijing | 16 August 2008 |
200 m
| Event | Result | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Athletic Final IAAF | 1st Final | Monaco | 20 September 2004 |
| 2004 Olympic Games | 4th Semifinal | Athens | 25 August 2004 |
Sponsorship
In January 2006, Asafa was signed as a global brand spokesperson for Nutrilite, the world's leading brand of vitamin, mineral and dietary supplements, based on 2006 sales. Nutrilite products are sold through Amway corporation. [9]
See also
References
- ^ Powell listens to his coach and smashes 100 m world record
- ^ Meet the fastest man ever
- ^ Asafa Powell one stylish record holder.
- ^ Sports Illustrated News Article retrieved 9 September 2007
- ^ Asafa Powell Breaks World 100 m Record
- ^ Wind / Altitude correction in the 100 m sprint
- ^ List of sub-10 second runs
- ^ Brilliant Powell does it again after Osaka let-down
- ^ Amway and Nutrilite Athletes
External links
- Asafa Powell at World Athletics
- Details on Asafa Powell's personalised Nike Zoom Aerofly spikes
- SPIKES Hero profile on www.spikesmag.com
- "Asafa Powell", n°11 on Time’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"
