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Asafa Powell (born 11 November 1982) is a Jamaican sprinter, Commonwealth 100 m champion and current joint 100 m world record holder (with Justin Gatlin).
Career
Asafa Powell was going to be an electrical engineer before he decided to start running. His elder brother Donovan was a 100 m semi-finalist in the 1999 world championships. Unlike many of his compatriots, Powell decided against moving to the USA to further his career and continues to train in Kingston, Jamaica where he often runs on grass wearing flat shoes.
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 semi-final where Jon Drummond memorably refused to leave the track having suffered the same fate.
The following season Powell was one of the gold medal favorites for 2004 Olympic 100 m, after clocking sub-10 second times a record-equalling 9 times in a season. However, Powell finished a disappointing fifth in the Athens final.
The following year, he gained some consolation by breaking the 100 m world record, in Athens again, on June 14, 2005, setting a time of 9.77 s. This beat American Tim Montgomery's 2002 record of 9.78 s (which was later disqualified due to doping allegations 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 - a gentle breeze - within the IAAF legal limit of 2.0 m/s.
Asafa won the 2006 Commonwealth Games title easily but had to get through 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's world record appeared to be broken on May 12, 2006 by Justin Gatlin's mark of 9.76 seconds. However, according to IAAF rules, his unofficial time of 9.766 should have been rounded to an official time of 9.77, not 9.76. Gatlin and Powell now share the record at 9.77 seconds. Powell then equalled his world record time on June 11 at Gateshead International Stadium.
Sponsorships
On April 24, 2006, Asafa was announced as global brand spokesperson for Nutrilite. Asafa began taking Nutrilite supplements three months before he broke the world record, and credits it with helping him overcome low energy levels during 2005.
Physical characteristics
- Height: 188 cm (6'2")
- Weight 87 kg (192 lb)
Progression
100 m
| Year | Time | Wind | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 10.12 | +1.3 | Rovereto | 26 August 2002 |
| 2003 | 10.02 | +0.8 | Brussels | 5 September 2003 |
| 2004 | 9.87 | +0.2 | Brussels | 3 September 2004 |
| 2005 | 9.77 | +1.6 | Athens | 14 June 2005 |
200 m
| 2002 | 20.48 | +0.4 | Rieti | 9 September 2002 |
| 2004 | 20.06 | +0.7 | Monaco | 19 September 2004 |
Progression 100 m in 2005
| Time | Wind | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.04 | +0.1 | Kingston | 25 June 2005 |
| 10.02 | -0.3 | London | 22 July 2005 |
| 9.98 | +1.9 | Athens | 14 June 2005 |
| 9.85 | +0.6 | Ostrava | 9 June 2005 |
| 9.84 | +1.8 | Kingston | 7 May 2005 |
| 9.77 | +1.6 | Athens | 14 June 2005 |
Honours
60 m
| Event | Round | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th world indoor | 5th semifinal | Budapest | 5 March 2004 |
100 m
| Event | Round | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2006 Commonwealth Games | Winner final | Melbourne | 20 March 2006 |
200 m
| Event | Round | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Athletic Final IAAF | 1st final | Monaco | 19 September 2004 |
| 2004 Olympic Games | 4th semifinal | Athens | 25 August 2004 |