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Powell still thinks he can bag that major gold
Powell still thinks he can bag that major gold
Published: Saturday | May 21, 2011
Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer
There is one rival, Asafa Powell accepts, he will never beat.
Forget, for a minute, Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay and the world's fleet of super-talented sprinters. Against them, at least, Powell has a competitor's chance.
Ignore unrelenting criticism the former world record holder has taken for failing to win an individual gold medal at either of track's two marquee events.
This rival Powell can't see when he settles into the blocks or powers towards the finish line.
But eventually, Powell admits, Father Time will catch him.
With each step in the chase, the Jamaican's opportunities to win that elusive gold dwindle. This summer's IAAF World Championships in Athletics (WCA) and the 2012 Olympic Games are likely Powell's last tries for a major global title in the 100 metres.
"I've not long to go," the 28-year-old said at the recent Penn Relays following his brilliant lead-off leg for Jamaica's winning 4x100 meters team.
" ... There's not much 'next time' when you're getting older. Time's running out."
The urgency is palpable. Powell doesn't plan to linger if age prevents him from being a force in track.
"I'm not gonna really stay in the sport until I'm old," he explained. "So if I don't get (the gold), my couple of chances that I have left, I'm not gonna pressure it."
"Lots of regrets" over not claiming the coveted prize still haunt him. The dominance of Bolt, currently 100 metres world record holder and reigning World and Olympic champion, suggests he'll probably collect more. But Powell believes he's "still in the game" for the top spot on the podium. He's also convinced that even if he fails to win this summer in Daegu, South Korea, or next year in London, he will be content with his contribution to track.
"If I don't get (gold), I'll still be happy," Powell said. "I made my name in the sport. I did my best and achieved a lot."
Long before clubmate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Bolt rose to sprint's highest roost from home-based programmes, Powell led the charge to topple a myth that excellence for Jamaican athletes was limited to those who left the island to train. Plus Powell, who ran his best times near the height of the sport's ugliest drug drama, has never tested positive for a banned substance, a claim several WCA and Olympic champions - from Jamaica and abroad - cannot make. Those who know him believe Powell's mark will remain long after his last race.
"Everybody has their different measure of how they judge greatness in the sport," said Bruce James, president of Powell's track club Maximising Velocity and Power (MVP). "And I think Asafa Powell will always be counted among the greatest among the sport whenever he decides to leave the sport."
Measuring greatness, Powell's critics counter, is whether an athlete performs his best at the best show, when facing the best. It's debatable if Powell, whose first name reportedly means 'rising to the occasion', meets that mark. There are even doubts about his will to win.
"You could see him thinking, 'I'm losing it, I'm losing it'," was former American star Michael Johnson's assessment of Powell's bronze-medal performance at the 2007 WCA in Osaka, a race he entered as world record holder, led for most of the contest, but surrendered gold to Gay. "And he just gave up at that point."
Powell's own recollection gives Johnson's critique merit.
"When I saw I wasn't in gold-medal contention, I gave up in the middle of the race," the Jamaican was quoted as saying. "I just stopped running."
Still, the 6'3" mass of chiselled power dismisses accusations he's a 'choker'. Injuries, he argues, prevented him from doing his best at championship showdowns. Powell's world records - 9.77 seconds in June 2005 and 9.74 in September 2007 - plus clocking more sub-10 second times than anyone, announce his all-world talent. But producing at the biggest moments is another question. Powell ran his fastest ever - 9.72 - less than three weeks after 9.95 in the 2008 Olympic final. In 2009, Powell ran 9.84 in the WCA final. His season's best 9.82 came a month later.
MISSING OUT
Powell has earned plenty recognition in track. He won the 100 metres at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the same year he was named male 'IAAF Athlete of the Year' and 'Track and Field Athlete of the Year'. He also won gold as a member of Jamaica's 4x100 teams at the 2008 Olympics and WCA 2009.
But Powell has never stood alone on the winner's podium at the Olympics (fifth in 2004 and 2008). Nor the WCA, where he was disqualified in 2003, missed 2005 with injury, before finishing third in 2007 and 2009. On the two stages where track crowns its kings and queens, Powell's place among the sport's royalty still stirs debate. He senses the window to regaining the title of world's best is rapidly closing - if not already slammed shut.
"Definitely can't really sit around and wait," he said. "I have to try and get that gold medal or get back that world record."
RISK
Powell admits he failed to deliver on past expectations. He particularly laments what "could have been" after underachieving in Osaka and at the Beijing Olympics.
"The last (years) - maybe '07 and '08 - I have a lot of regrets in those years," Powell said.
None for 2009, when Bolt's stunning 9.58 at the WCA silenced all comers. Now, Powell said, he's ready to accept - as fate and with faith - both praise and criticism.
"If I'm not supposed to get (gold)," the youngest of six sons for two church ministers said, "you know, it's just God's willing."
Yet, Powell appears to be risking what remains of his honeymoon with track fans. Recently, Britain's Daily Mail reported he made several eyebrow-raising claims, dangerously pecking at Jamaica's deep, proud tradition in athletics.
"Before me, track and field was not the No. 1 sport in Jamaica, football was," Powell was quoted as saying.
He credited Olympic champion Donald Quarrie's contribution and claimed to be the "man to motivate Usain". But there was no mention of greats like Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley, George Rhoden and Merlene Ottey, who helped circle Jamaica on track's world map long before Powell.
The demands of the Olympics and WCA - four rounds to the title versus the international track circuit's one-off races where Powell usually runs his fastest - hints at another real problem for the sprinter. Yet, he has grown philosophical.
"Not everyone is going to win every day," Powell explained. "So I'm out there, I'm running very fast. If I don't win, then I'll try again. And (if) I don't win, once I know I did my best, then I'll be satisfied."
He insists his hunger for the top spot has not diminished. In the past, Powell's admitted being lazy. But reports indicate he has upped his intensity. Now he's trying to tilt sprinting's balance of power.
"I have a chance to really go out there and win that gold medal," said Powell. " ... All of us have a fair chance."
Bolt's world record and Gay's best of 9.69 suggest otherwise. Furthermore, incidents like May 7, when Powell finished last in the 200 metres in Kingston, claiming a leg problem, irritate Jamaicans, especially after he won impressively the following weekend in Shanghai. Powell feels the weight of their scrutiny.
"I really look at it as people expect something from me at any time," Powell said. " ... There's still pressure. People are wondering if I can still get back on top."
First he must climb past Bolt, Gay and the chasing pack.
"I always know that I have it in me to beat them," declared Powell.
Father Time, however, is another story.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports5.html
Published: Saturday | May 21, 2011
Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer
There is one rival, Asafa Powell accepts, he will never beat.
Forget, for a minute, Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay and the world's fleet of super-talented sprinters. Against them, at least, Powell has a competitor's chance.
Ignore unrelenting criticism the former world record holder has taken for failing to win an individual gold medal at either of track's two marquee events.
This rival Powell can't see when he settles into the blocks or powers towards the finish line.
But eventually, Powell admits, Father Time will catch him.
With each step in the chase, the Jamaican's opportunities to win that elusive gold dwindle. This summer's IAAF World Championships in Athletics (WCA) and the 2012 Olympic Games are likely Powell's last tries for a major global title in the 100 metres.
"I've not long to go," the 28-year-old said at the recent Penn Relays following his brilliant lead-off leg for Jamaica's winning 4x100 meters team.
" ... There's not much 'next time' when you're getting older. Time's running out."
The urgency is palpable. Powell doesn't plan to linger if age prevents him from being a force in track.
"I'm not gonna really stay in the sport until I'm old," he explained. "So if I don't get (the gold), my couple of chances that I have left, I'm not gonna pressure it."
"Lots of regrets" over not claiming the coveted prize still haunt him. The dominance of Bolt, currently 100 metres world record holder and reigning World and Olympic champion, suggests he'll probably collect more. But Powell believes he's "still in the game" for the top spot on the podium. He's also convinced that even if he fails to win this summer in Daegu, South Korea, or next year in London, he will be content with his contribution to track.
"If I don't get (gold), I'll still be happy," Powell said. "I made my name in the sport. I did my best and achieved a lot."
Long before clubmate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Bolt rose to sprint's highest roost from home-based programmes, Powell led the charge to topple a myth that excellence for Jamaican athletes was limited to those who left the island to train. Plus Powell, who ran his best times near the height of the sport's ugliest drug drama, has never tested positive for a banned substance, a claim several WCA and Olympic champions - from Jamaica and abroad - cannot make. Those who know him believe Powell's mark will remain long after his last race.
"Everybody has their different measure of how they judge greatness in the sport," said Bruce James, president of Powell's track club Maximising Velocity and Power (MVP). "And I think Asafa Powell will always be counted among the greatest among the sport whenever he decides to leave the sport."
Measuring greatness, Powell's critics counter, is whether an athlete performs his best at the best show, when facing the best. It's debatable if Powell, whose first name reportedly means 'rising to the occasion', meets that mark. There are even doubts about his will to win.
"You could see him thinking, 'I'm losing it, I'm losing it'," was former American star Michael Johnson's assessment of Powell's bronze-medal performance at the 2007 WCA in Osaka, a race he entered as world record holder, led for most of the contest, but surrendered gold to Gay. "And he just gave up at that point."
Powell's own recollection gives Johnson's critique merit.
"When I saw I wasn't in gold-medal contention, I gave up in the middle of the race," the Jamaican was quoted as saying. "I just stopped running."
Still, the 6'3" mass of chiselled power dismisses accusations he's a 'choker'. Injuries, he argues, prevented him from doing his best at championship showdowns. Powell's world records - 9.77 seconds in June 2005 and 9.74 in September 2007 - plus clocking more sub-10 second times than anyone, announce his all-world talent. But producing at the biggest moments is another question. Powell ran his fastest ever - 9.72 - less than three weeks after 9.95 in the 2008 Olympic final. In 2009, Powell ran 9.84 in the WCA final. His season's best 9.82 came a month later.
MISSING OUT
Powell has earned plenty recognition in track. He won the 100 metres at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the same year he was named male 'IAAF Athlete of the Year' and 'Track and Field Athlete of the Year'. He also won gold as a member of Jamaica's 4x100 teams at the 2008 Olympics and WCA 2009.
But Powell has never stood alone on the winner's podium at the Olympics (fifth in 2004 and 2008). Nor the WCA, where he was disqualified in 2003, missed 2005 with injury, before finishing third in 2007 and 2009. On the two stages where track crowns its kings and queens, Powell's place among the sport's royalty still stirs debate. He senses the window to regaining the title of world's best is rapidly closing - if not already slammed shut.
"Definitely can't really sit around and wait," he said. "I have to try and get that gold medal or get back that world record."
RISK
Powell admits he failed to deliver on past expectations. He particularly laments what "could have been" after underachieving in Osaka and at the Beijing Olympics.
"The last (years) - maybe '07 and '08 - I have a lot of regrets in those years," Powell said.
None for 2009, when Bolt's stunning 9.58 at the WCA silenced all comers. Now, Powell said, he's ready to accept - as fate and with faith - both praise and criticism.
"If I'm not supposed to get (gold)," the youngest of six sons for two church ministers said, "you know, it's just God's willing."
Yet, Powell appears to be risking what remains of his honeymoon with track fans. Recently, Britain's Daily Mail reported he made several eyebrow-raising claims, dangerously pecking at Jamaica's deep, proud tradition in athletics.
"Before me, track and field was not the No. 1 sport in Jamaica, football was," Powell was quoted as saying.
He credited Olympic champion Donald Quarrie's contribution and claimed to be the "man to motivate Usain". But there was no mention of greats like Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley, George Rhoden and Merlene Ottey, who helped circle Jamaica on track's world map long before Powell.
The demands of the Olympics and WCA - four rounds to the title versus the international track circuit's one-off races where Powell usually runs his fastest - hints at another real problem for the sprinter. Yet, he has grown philosophical.
"Not everyone is going to win every day," Powell explained. "So I'm out there, I'm running very fast. If I don't win, then I'll try again. And (if) I don't win, once I know I did my best, then I'll be satisfied."
He insists his hunger for the top spot has not diminished. In the past, Powell's admitted being lazy. But reports indicate he has upped his intensity. Now he's trying to tilt sprinting's balance of power.
"I have a chance to really go out there and win that gold medal," said Powell. " ... All of us have a fair chance."
Bolt's world record and Gay's best of 9.69 suggest otherwise. Furthermore, incidents like May 7, when Powell finished last in the 200 metres in Kingston, claiming a leg problem, irritate Jamaicans, especially after he won impressively the following weekend in Shanghai. Powell feels the weight of their scrutiny.
"I really look at it as people expect something from me at any time," Powell said. " ... There's still pressure. People are wondering if I can still get back on top."
First he must climb past Bolt, Gay and the chasing pack.
"I always know that I have it in me to beat them," declared Powell.
Father Time, however, is another story.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports5.html