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Usain Bolt smashed fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell's 100 meter world record in 2008 in the 100 meters, and went on to smash it again three times during his career.
Jamaican sprint legend Asafa Powell has revealed why he bore no resentment when Usain Bolt smashed his 100-meter world record in 2008.
Speaking on Justin Gatlin’s Ready Set Go podcast, Powell shared his perspective on the historic moment, emphasizing patriotism and camaraderie over rivalry.
In May 2008, Bolt stunned the athletics world with a scintillating 9.72-second performance at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York. Competing in just his fifth professional 100m race, Bolt eclipsed Powell's 9.74-second record, which had stood since September 2007.
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The achievement marked the beginning of Bolt’s dominance in sprinting, as he left Tyson Gay, the 2007 world champion, trailing at 9.85 seconds.
At the time, Powell was recovering from surgery on a pectoral injury, a setback that prevented him from mounting an immediate challenge to reclaim the record. Despite the disappointment, Powell harbored no bitterness.
Reflecting on Bolt’s feat, Powell recalled the confidence he initially felt about reclaiming his title.
“Back then, I was like, ‘The record is mine,’” Powell explained. “I was in Florida, recovering from pectoral surgery. He ran 9.76 earlier that year, then went to New York and ran 9.72. I thought, ‘I will break that back.’”
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However, Powell's attitude shifted when he returned to Jamaica and spoke with Bolt and his coach.
“They told me, ‘Asafa, we know you’re going to break the record back, but let us enjoy it a little bit.’ And I didn’t feel any bad vibes. I didn’t think, ‘This should be mine’ or ‘Why did you break my record?’ Maybe it was because he was a countryman, but I didn’t feel bad at all. We still have the world record in Jamaica,” he said.
Powell’s pride in Jamaica’s sprinting legacy softened any potential sting of losing the record.
“Maybe I’m being too patriotic, but as long as we had the record, it felt like it was still mine,” he added.
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Powell's stance underscores the collective pride shared by Jamaicans in their nation’s sprinting dominance—a legacy Bolt continued to elevate.
Bolt’s 9.72 marked just the beginning. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he set a new benchmark of 9.69 seconds, becoming the first man to break the 9.7-second barrier, despite famously easing up before the finish line.
The following year, at the World Championships in Berlin, Bolt obliterated his own record, clocking an awe-inspiring 9.58 seconds—a time that remains unbeaten to this day.
While Powell never reclaimed the world record, his contribution to Jamaican sprinting cannot be overstated. His initial 9.74-second mark paved the way for Bolt’s rise, and his sportsmanship in the face of being surpassed exemplifies the unity and pride of Jamaican athletics.
In Powell's eyes, Bolt's record-breaking feats were not just personal triumphs but shared victories for their homeland. “We still have the world record in Jamaica,” he said—a sentiment that continues to resonate with fans of the sport.
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