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Asafa Powell has appeared to aim a fresh dig at Trinadian legend Ato Boldon, following the war of words that has been going on between them for quite a while now.
Jamaican sprint legend Asafa Powell has once again taken aim at Trinidad and Tobago's Ato Boldon, continuing a feud that has simmered for some time between the two retired athletes.
The latest exchange follows a long-running spat, with Powell accusing Boldon of failing to show respect to sprinters of his generation, including Tyson Gay and himself.
The tension between the two escalated recently when Boldon made comments about Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah’s struggles with injuries. During an appearance on the LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast, Boldon claimed that Thompson-Herah, a two-time Olympic champion, was "done" as a top competitor, referencing her physical challenges.
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18:23 - 07.08.2024
Jamaican legend jumps to Elaine Thompson-Herah's defense following Ato Boldon's comments on her career
The Jamaican sprint legend pointed out that he has lost a lot of respect for Trinidanian former sprinter and politician Ato Boldon following 'demeaning' remarks he made about Elaine Thompson-Herah.
"I think more than anything else, it’s that she, her body, physically, is done," Boldon remarked bluntly.
Boldon, a four-time Olympic medallist for Trinidad and Tobago, further compared Thompson-Herah’s difficulties with Powell’s pursuit of achieving 100 sub-10 second times in the men’s 100 metres. Powell, who holds the record with 97 sub-10 second runs, fell short of reaching the century mark before retiring.
"I remember when Asafa Powell was forever on 99 or 98 sub-10 seconds, and you know, he was going after this last two sub-10s to get the 100, it’s never gonna happen," Boldon commented.
These remarks did not sit well with Powell, who has since expressed his disappointment at Boldon’s failure to empathise with athletes facing setbacks. Powell addressed the situation during an appearance on his YouTube channel, The Powells, where he revealed his frustration.
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07:00 - 26.08.2024
Retired Trinidadian sprinter claps back at Asafa Powell for rubbishing his claims that Elaine Thompson-Herah is 'done'
Powell had admitted at 'losing respect' for Boldon for claiming Thompson-Herah was finished as a top level athlete, which has prompted the former 200m world champion into clapping back at him.
"I’ve lost a lot of respect for Boldon for not being considerate enough to understand the struggles we face as athletes when we’re trying to recover from injuries or setbacks," Powell said.
Though Powell admitted that he had come to terms with not achieving 100 sub-10 second runs before retiring, he emphasised that Boldon’s lack of sensitivity towards Thompson-Herah’s efforts was particularly disheartening.
"But, for an athlete who is trying their best to come back to health and be the Olympic champion again, and for Boldon to say that they’re done, I’ve lost a lot of respect for that," Powell added.
Boldon, however, did not take Powell’s criticism lying down. In response, he highlighted his extensive experience in athletics, both as a competitor and as a coach, suggesting that his views were informed by decades of professional involvement.
"I’m not getting into who motivates whom or who has the right to say what. I’ve been doing this for 20 years as a professional, and before that, I ran for 16 years. So, it’s not like I don’t know what I’m talking about," Boldon fired back a few weeks later.
Despite the back-and-forth, Powell recently resurfaced the issue, appearing to take a fresh dig at Boldon. Without directly naming him, Powell suggested that certain athletes from the previous generation—seemingly referring to Boldon—did not show the same level of respect to the sprinters of Powell’s era.
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"I have to respect those who came before me, and it’s good for them to know that we respect them, but we need respect in return," Powell said on his YouTube channel The Powells. "I know that one athlete in particular does not respect any of us. I will not call names, but I don’t think he respects any athletes at all."
Powell went on to highlight what he perceives as a lack of mutual respect between Boldon’s generation and his own, adding that modern sprinters, like Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley, have been more respectful towards his peers.
"I show a lot of respect to Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley because they’ve shown respect to us. I looked up to Maurice Greene and Linford Christie, and we tried to model ourselves after them. But I don’t think the generation before us passed on the same respect," Powell explained.
Despite his frustrations, Powell did acknowledge the continued humility of Maurice Greene and Linford Christie, two sprint legends from previous eras. He praised both for showing respect to the next generation of athletes, something he believes Boldon has not done.
"Maurice Greene and Linford Christie still show their respect, but other athletes from before our time still try to compete with us and claim they were better," Powell concluded.
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