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Asafa Powell is considered one of the greatest 100m sprinters of all time, yet he never managed to win an individual gold medal at a World Championships or Olympics due to an unlucky factor he has now revealed.
Former Jamaican sprint legend Asafa Powell has explained why he never lived up to the hype people expected of him at major world championships during his 20-year career as a sprinter.
Powell set world records in the 100 meters with times of 9.77 seconds in June 2005 and 9.74 seconds in May 2008. His personal best of 9.72 seconds ranks fourth on the all-time list of men's 100-meter athletes.
As of September 1, 2016, Powell had broken the 10-second barrier more times than any other sprinter—97 times. However, his best individual achievement was a bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
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19:49 - 16.07.2024
Justin Gatlin & Asafa Powell reflect on when they both held the 100m world record at the same time
Gatlin and Powell have reflected back on their rivalry as sprinters, including the time they both held the world record in the 100 metres back in the mid 2000s.
His only major championship gold medal came in the 4x100 meters relay at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Powell explained his struggles with injuries on the Ready Set Go podcast, stating that these setbacks often prevented him from being at his best during crucial competitions.
“99 percent of the time at the championships, I was never at my best. It is like someone always had a voodoo doll and every time, something used to come up,” Powell said.
He detailed several instances where injuries derailed his chances, including the 2012 Olympic Games where a groin injury forced him to pull out of the race after 40 meters.
“I would be in the best shape of my life two weeks before the championships, then boom, groin, boom, hamstring. Before Daegu, I suffered from a quad injury,” Powell recounted.
“I remember in London, I told myself I would give it my all but I knew I was not close to my best because I tore my groin in Jamaica, then went to Canada to do a PRP on my groin and two weeks after, I am in the Olympics trying to run the most historic race of my life. I got to the final.
“ I remember getting out of the block and I remember when I got to the 30 meters, my upper body was in front of everyone else’s heads. When I got to 40 meters, my right leg was like no. I remember bowing my head down and just had to pull out of that race, but that was the greatest race of all time.”
Powell emphasized the hidden struggles athletes face, which often go unnoticed by the public.
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08:08 - 15.07.2024
Legendary marathoner Catherine Ndereba lists three big things that fail Kenyan athletes
Kenyan marathon legend Catherine Ndereba has explained why athletes struggle upon retirement having enjoyed successful careers.
“A lot of people do not know what we go through as athletes to be out there on the track. You will see someone losing a race when they were in the best shape of their lives and you are like ‘how?’ You expect these four people to be at the top, why were only two of them at the top while the others were in the back.”
He likened the human body to a car engine, noting that while car parts can be easily replaced, the human body needs time to heal.
“With a car engine, You (can) break, try and fix it back by replacing parts but (with the body), it is not as easy as replacing parts. You have to wait for it to be better. Sometimes we run injured and in a lot of pain but people do not know this.”
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