Асафа Пауэлл: Ямайкалық спринтердің өмірі мен жетістіктері

Jamaican sprinter

Powell competed in the 100 m at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics, finishing fifth in 2004 and 2008 and eighth after injuring his groin during the race in 2012. At the 2007 Osaka World Championships, he achieved a bronze and a silver medal in the 100 m and 4 × 100 m relay respectively, and he was successful at the Commonwealth Games, winning twice plus achieving a silver medal. At the 2009 World Championships, he achieved the 100 m bronze and became champion in the relay. Powell has won five times at the IAAF World Athletics Final and was the former 100 m world record holder in the event. In 2013, Powell tested positive for the stimulant oxilofrine along with teammate Sherone Simpson and voluntarily withdrew from the 2013 World Athletics Championships as a result, though both maintained they did not take any banned supplements knowingly or willfully. On 10 April 2014, they received an 18 month suspension from competing, which was set to expire in December that year. However the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) lifted both athletes' suspensions on 14 July 2014, finding that the positive tests were caused by the presence of oxilofrine, undisclosed by the manufacturer, in a supplement taken by the pair.

Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, Asafa Powell is the youngest of six sons of two ministers. Asafa attended Ewarton Primary School and Charlemont High School, both in St. Catherine, Jamaica. Powell planned to be a mechanic before he took up running while studying in Kingston, Jamaica. His eldest brother Donovan, was a 60 m finalist in the 1999 World Indoor Championships. Running runs in the family: His brothers clocked 9.5 seconds for the 100 yd dash, his mother 11.4 s, and his father 10.2 s. and has been coached by Stephen Francis since 2001.

Asafa Powell opened his 2010 season on 20 February at the UWI Invitational Meet in Jamaica by competing in the 400 m. He won his heat in a time of 47.56 s but was placed 3rd overall according to his time. He then ran the 200 m at the UTech Classic on 17 April 2010, also in his homeland. He competed in the 200 m in heavy rain and cold conditions. Powell opened up a huge lead in the first 100 m, after which he slowed drastically and won his heat in 21.27 s in a 1 m/s headwind. Later, it was reported that Powell had suffered minor cramps on his left calf muscles, which was why he had to slow down. Powell was next scheduled to run in the highly anticipated 4×100 m Penn Relays featuring Jamaica Yellow, and competing against Usain Bolt (Jamaica Black). However, he pulled out of the race as it was reported by his assistant coach that he had an injured toe, which would need some time to heal. At the IAAF Diamond League in Doha, Powell made a wind aided time of 9.75 s in the heat and 9.81 s in the final, also wind aided. He subsequently set a 100 m world leading time of 9.83 s. En route to this performance, he also set the rarely run 100 yards dash world best at 9.07 s, beating the previous record of 9.21 s set by Charlie Greene. Powell next competed at the DKF Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway, where he powered to a splendid victory with a wind aided 9.72 s. A week later, he competed at the Golden Gala in Rome, Italy, where he overcame a very poor reaction time at the start to take another victory in a World Leading time of 9.82 s. It was reported that Powell ended his six year contract with leading sports brand Nike due to sponsorship problems, and rumours spread that he has a new contract with fast upcoming Chinese sports brand Li Ning. Asafa next competed in the 200 m of the Jamaican Senior Trials where he won the final in 19.97 s, his second fastest ever. There, for the first time, he promoted his new Li Ning outfit. Powell next competed in Gateshead where he got off to a terrific start but lost to fast finishing Tyson Gay, who took the victory in 9.94 s to Powell's 9.96 s in a strong 1.7 m/s headwind. Powell was not very disappointed as he mentioned that he got too relaxed, thus allowing Gay to outdo him in the final strides. The next race in Paris against Usain Bolt was a disappointing one. Although he had a good start, Bolt caught him at halfway point, and Asafa began to lose his fluent running form. He finished 2nd to Bolt in 9.91 s, 0.07 s slower than his rival and also into a slight headwind. Asafa said that he had a very bad race, which he hoped to improve in his upcoming races. Unfortunately for Powell, there was not a 'next race' for him. He picked up strains from his Paris meeting, which aggravated to hamstring and back problems. Powell missed his next two outings where he was scheduled to clash against Bolt and Gay. Powell ended his splendid 2010 season on a disappointing note, even though he expressed satisfaction on the races that he competed for the year. Asafa opened his 2011 season on 16 April at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. He ran the 200 m where he came in third after what looked to be a good first 140 m, slowing down significantly at the last quarter of the race. His time was 20.55 s for the race behind Yohan Blake and Daniel Bailey. Powell ran his next race was the 4 × 100 m relay, USA vs The World, at the Penn Relays 2011, on 28 April. He ran the unusual first leg for Jamaica as he blasted off like a bullet to give Jamaica the lead. Jamaica won the event in a world leading time of 38.33 s, ahead of USA Red and USA Blue teams respectively. He stated after the run that he was in good shape, and looking forward to do great things in the year ahead. Powell next ran the 200 m at the Jamaica International Invitational Meet on 7 May. He looked promising in the first 120 m, after which he slowed down drastically, finishing in last place with a time of 21.40 s, in a race won by Jamaican Nickel Ashmeade. He later stated that he felt a minor pain in his hamstring, and backed off as a precaution, but insisted that it was nothing serious. In the second meeting of the 2011 IAAF Diamond League at Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, Powell won the 100 m with a time of 9.95 seconds. Powell next ran at the IAAF Diamond League in Rome against Usain Bolt on 26 May. Powell had a superb start and mid, but he faded towards the end, only to allow the world record holder to surpass him in the final 10–12 m of the race. Bolt won in 9.91 s, and Powell came second in 9.93s. He said that he had lost focus, but is confident about beating Bolt after what he had done that day. Powell next competed in the IAAF World Challenge in Rabat, Morocco, in a low key meet. There, after running the first 20 m, he pulled up and finished last in 36.13 s, citing a precaution against a serious hamstring injury. Reports said that it was nothing serious, and he would be ready for the Jamaican Trials later in the month. At the Jamaican Trials 23–24 July, Powell looked impressive as he qualified through the rounds. He posted a season best of 9.90s in his semi final, despite easing off in the final 1 5m. Later, after overcoming a bad start, Powell won the final to be titled National Champion for the fifth time in his career. He won in a time of 10.08 s into a 1.8 m/s headwind. Yohan Blake and Steve Mullings were second and third respectively with only 0.01 s separating them. Next up for Powell was the Diamond League Athletissima in Lausanne on 30 June. In chilly conditions not ideal for sprinting, the former world record holder bulleted out of his blocks and ran to the tape, recording a world leading 9.78 s with a following wind of 1.0 m/s. Powell was indeed happy with his strong performance, his fastest in three years, and full of confidence about the rest of the season and IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Koreaa in late August. Next up for Powell was the IAAF Diamond League Meeting in Birmingham, England on 10 July. He became the first man in history to break the 10 seconds barrier in the Sir Alexander Stadium when he clocked a very easy looking 9.95 s in his heat. Later, in the final, he eased to a 9.91 s victory where compatriots Nesta Carter and Michael Frater finished second and third respectively. Powell was satisfied with both his races, stating that he took both the races easy due to very chilly and rainy conditions. Asafa seemed more and more confident heading into the World Championships in late August. Powell next competed on 30 July in Budapest at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He ran 9.90 s in his heats and eased through the final to win in 9.86 s, having followed winds of 1.8 m/s and 2.0 m/s respectively, in cold conditions. Powell was next slated to run the Aviva London Grand Prix, but he pulled out, citing a groin strain. Later in late August, just a couple of days before the start of the World Championships in Daegu, Powell shocked the world by pulling out of the highly anticipated 100 m as his groin strain was re aggravated and did not allow him to compete. Powell expressed great disappointment but vowed to come back strong for the London Olympics in 2012, but still hoped to run the 4x100 m relay in Daegu. However, he was unfit to run the relay and had to watch his compatriots win gold in a world record time of 37.04 s. Powell competed in the 100 m at the Diamond League Final in Zürich on 9 September. He looked very impressive in the first 60 m, but faded to second place as newly crowned world champion, Yohan Blake, took victory in 9.82 s. Powell registered a 9.95 s run, which was impressive given the fact that his injury was still present. By completing the race, the sprinter took the Samsung Diamond Trophy with $40,000 in cash. Powell ended his season with another injury, almost a repeat of year 2010, where he showed excellent form in the first half of the year but unfortunately suffered injuries.

In a ceremony held on 24 February, Powell received the University of Technology (UTech) Chancellor's Medal as well as Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Award International Ambassador role. He ran a personal best for the 60 metres at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix, setting a time of 6.50 seconds. On the 2012 IAAF Diamond League circuit, he was narrowly beaten by Justin Gatlin in Doha (runner up in 9.88 seconds), then won the 100 m at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix a week later. On 5 August 2012, Asafa Powell ran in the final of the 100 m race at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. After back to back 5th place finishes in Athens and Beijing, 2004 and 2008 respectively, Powell had his most disastrous final yet when he finished dead last with a time of 11.99 seconds, pulling up after seeing others pulling ahead of him, but it was ultimately due to a persistent groin injury. Powell said:"It was my old groin injury that reoccurred. I felt it and it started to go. You never want to get injured, but it is a bit of a disaster when it happens in the Olympic final." Usain Bolt took the gold with Yohan Blake getting the silver and Justin Gatlin the bronze. As a result, Powell along with longtime rival Tyson Gay who finished 4th, remain as two of the three fastest men of all time to never have won any individual Olympic medals of any type. After the race, Jamaica's track and field manager Ludlow Watts lavished praise on Powell:Powell actually started this great change in our sprinting, and he's still a champion. Following the race, Powell had an ultrasound showing new tears in his adductor muscles as well as scar tissue in a previous injury. The groin injury appears to be season ending as manager Paul Doyle believes he will miss the remainder of the year. "I don't think it looks good for the rest of the season for Asafa," he lamented. Powell was not able to compete for Jamaica in the men's 4 × 100 m relay on 10 August. Powell released an apparel and accessories line branded "Sub 10 King" and many others, also opening up his personal website www. iamasafa. com for people's viewing and a platform to purchase his products.

On 14 July 2013 Powell announced he had tested positive for the banned drug oxilofrine in 2013 and withdrew from the 2013 World Athletics Championships as a result, but maintained that he did not take any banned supplements knowingly or willfully. Powell and fellow Jamaican sprinter, Sherone Simpson had taken the supplement Ephiphany D1 as part of their training regimen, not knowing it contained oxilofrine. It was later revealed that Acacia was substituted with oxilofrine, and not revealed by the manufacturer. The duo sued the company that sold the supplement, Dynamic Life Nutrition (DLN), in order to clear their names. Both Powell and Simpson reached an out of court settlement for an undisclosed amount in September 2015. After the settlement, Simpson released a statement stating: "Both Asafa and I are happy that we were able to settle this out of court." In April 2014, the Jamaica Anti Doping Commission suspended him for 18 months over doping charges, expiring in December that year. However, after he and Simpson appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the suspensions were reduced to the 6 months already served as CAS accepted the explanation that the offense was minor and due to contamination of the Epiphany D1 supplement.

On 19 August 2016, Powell made a triumphant Olympic return, competing as part of the Jamaican 4 × 100 m men's relay team and winning a gold medal. After Jamaican team gold medal in 2008 Olympics were stripped, this medal win will be his only gold medal at Olympic Games.

Despite Powell's size ( tall, weighing ), he has fast initial acceleration. In the Japanese sports Science institute in 2008, Asafa Powell was measured to have a small cross sectional area of his quadriceps tendon stretched with 114 kilograms of pull force, compared to sprinter Nobuharu Asahara's measurement of 59 kilograms, and the average mans as being 43 kilograms. Powell was also noted as having a large Psoas major muscle in the Japanese sports science institute. Coupled with comparatively high stiffness in his ligaments and tendons, his long legs provide a long stride of 2.6 metres with rapid progression between each stride.

Powell is deeply religious, citing his mother and father and his strict upbringing as the reason for this. In 2002, tragedy struck the Powell family when one of Asafa's brothers, Michael Powell, was shot dead in a taxi in New York. This emotional event happened the week of the Jamaica National Trials. In April 2007, Corey Reid, an uncle of Powell, was stabbed in Waterloo, Ewarton, St. Catherine. He later died in hospital. Powell married Canadian model Alyshia Powell in 2019. Powell has four children—two with his wife, Amieke Powell and Azhaf Powell and two from previous relationships, Avani Powell and Liam Powell. Powell is known to be occasionally shy but nonetheless good natured and somewhat of a joker. He is good friends with compatriot, 100 and 200 metre world record holder Usain Bolt. The two are often seen joking around and do meet off the track. Powell is an avid car enthusiast. Powell announced his retirement from Track and Field on November 23, 2022.

Powell has been under contract with Nike since 2004, representing them in all his IAAF races, and agreed to appear in various advertising campaigns for the company. Nike designed and built the Zoom Aerofly shoes for him, which were used at the 2008 Beijing Games. However, Powell ended his contract with Nike in mid 2010, and signed up with leading Chinese sports brand Li Ning. He has signed with Puma in 2015. GlaxoSmithKline, through its energy drink Lucozade, has sponsored Powell since he first broke the 100 m World Record in 2005. They honoured his Beijing achievements in a small function in October 2008. In January 2006, Powell signed as a global brand spokesperson for Nutrilite. Nutrilite products are sold through the Amway corporation. On 14 January 2009 Amway's Team Nutrilite ended the sponsorship agreement with Powell.

EventTime (seconds)VenueDate60 metres6.44World Indoor Championships, Portland, Oregon18 March 2016100 metres9.72Lausanne, Switzerland2 September 2008200 metres19.90, 19.83wKingston, Jamaica25 June 2006400 metres45.94Sydney, Australia28 February 2009