Congratulations to Usain Bolt! He has renewed our nation’s confidence, and reclaimed respect for Jamaica’s long and proud history of achievement in World Athletics, and our historical place and presence among the global community.
But lest we collectively forget, in our (justified) stampede to crown Usain Bolt our new black King of the track, it was Asafa Powell’s extraordinary talent that first returned glory and pride to Jamaica, after decades of American dominance in track and field, particularly the 100m. While we heap praises on Usain Bolt, let us acknowledge the ambivalent position in which this 100m final placed the country – to support one or the other of our country men while hoping that they both medal.
I, personally, supported Asafa, and naturally felt an enormous surge of sadness when he failed to place. Many Jamaicans, as I did, would have been delayed in their own own joy for Jamaica and for Bolt as a result.
Asafa Powell is to be praised for making the finals, in a race with superlatively strong competitors, and where the World Record holder, the celebrated Tyson Gay, failed to make. The 100m is a high pressure race, more so because of the attention and promotion given to it as the stellar race of the Olympics.
To have had three Jamaicans in the final is a mark of Jamaica’s greatness in athletics, and a mark of the composure and innate mental strength of our athletes. Asafa Powell, plagued over the last few years by injury, loss of form, nerves and anxiety as well as his own self-doubt, managed to retain his composure to the end. That his legs/mind failed to offer him that final push does NOT take away from his prowess as an athlete. When the history of World Sport is written, he shall go down as one of the greatest athletes of his generation.
Records were made to be broken. He broke records, and then broke them again,and finaly had it taken off him. The burden upon him has finally been lifted. Now he can run his true race. God bless Asafa Powell. May God bless his parents, the Reverend and Mrs Powell for giving our nation this gift. Asafa Powell remains MY champion, and ought to remain Jamaica’s other King of the Track.
To my respected friend and colleague journalist, Tony Morrison who refers to Asafa Powell a “wus”, I say this:
To call Asafa a ‘wuss’ is just DISRESPECTFUL and irrelevant to this discourse.
A ‘wuss’ cannot ‘redefine 100m sprint” as you so articulately put it.
A ‘wuss’ cannot break a world record – albeit his own – 9 times in one season (prior to Athens 2004).
A ‘wuss’ cannot/WILL NEVER make an Olympic final in the 100m consecutively.
Asafa is a wold class athlete! He was and IS a champion. History will more than recall him! It has recalled lessor champions ( Donnovon Bailey, Linford Christie) over the 100m.
Celebrate Usain, but do not undermine the value of Asafa- the athlete who gave us much to celebrate over the last four years.
Lest we forget, it was Asafa Powell who resusitated Jamaica’s Olympic hopes during the 2004 Athens games when the runner on the third leg of the 4X4 relay stumbled and fell. It was Asafa Powell who met him on the ground, retrieved the baton from his sweaty palms – and just when – we thought our chances of medalling had been lost – sprinted with all his might to catch and surpass some five athletes to secure for Jamaica a medal. It was blessed day in Athens and it was Asafa who gave Jamaica that moment to celebrate.
Maybe Asafa is the sacrficial lamb who was meant to cosmically surrender the 100m in Beijing 08 to pave the way for history to be recorded by Usain Bolt and for Jamaica land we love. 60 years we had waited for this moment. A nation never achieve this kind of glory without giving up something significant. As an early Quaker missionary to Jamaica had declared “Jamaica is destined to exert an influence upon humanity, disporportionate to its territorial extent”.
All I can say is EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hume – well said! How dare he??? His attitude certainly reflects the fickleness of “support” given to our athletes. We love them when they are on top, but fling them aside when they don’t sparkle. Never mind that the race barely over, and Asafa still have to come to terms with his performance. Show some respect, man! After all of this, Asafa will find his rhythm again, and he will shine in his own way. Kudos to Usain, but if I had to choose, it would be Asafa. As it was, I didn’t root for any of them. I have and do maintain that the person who wins these supercharged races is the one who is able to bring everything that they have and, with a dose of luck, produce their best in this high-pressure race. You can’t ever really know who will. Usain was able to do that; Asafa wasn’t. Usain gets all the attention because he is the flavour of the moment; and he is so because he beat a record previously held by Asafa. Without Asafa who brought a kind of quiet dignity to his performance that we haven’t seen in a while, Usain wouldn’t have this much or kind of attention as the showy/flashy chest-thumping upstart.
That Tony is a blasted labbamout’. The Olympics is a competition among champions ie. people who have shown themselves to stand head and shoulders among better athletes. People are competing against their best selves, not each other. There is no such thing as a “wuss” in that space, and so leveling such an insult at Asafa is utterly and completely disrespectful and beneath contempt. Frankly, Tony is engaging in juvenile trash talk, that of schoolboys in the ballground. In doing so, he shows himself as one who is unable to represent the true meaning of this level of competition to Jamaican listeners. His opinion from here on out should be totally irrelevant to the conversation. This is why I don’t listen to dem commentators; I mute the tv and turn off the radio most of the time. I just cannot tek dem stupid comments, man!
Well said mate , Usain Bolt is in deed the fastest man in the world , the man with the golden shoes can run man !!!!
but Asafa Powel has started the business, he has put the Jamaican people on the Map at the very beginning, we all know that , I love him , I think he is cute…lol , We should all cheer for our brothers regardless their performance, they are giving their best so COUP DE CHAPEAU to all of the Jamaican Participants , you have done your country proud and we all love ya. This goes to my people in DRC as well weither you bring home the medal or not you have done us proud , we wish you good luck in the future.
Peace
It is great to see athletes have fun when doing their sport, and it was especially great/pleaseing to see Usain Bolt leave the competition behind while enjoying himself (in the spirit of the sport that is). However, about Asafa Powell, unfortunately I dont know enough, but the links courtesy of Lloyd is bringing me up to speed. The one remark I can make – it is unfair to call an athlete that beats the odds a “wuss”
I am in total agreement with this article. How can anyone dare to call Asafa a “wuss”?!! I am outraged and disgusted! Asafa Powell is one of the greatest athletes of all times. He has helped to put us where we are…and this is the reward and respect he gets in return??!! I am happy that Jamaica won the gold medal, I would have been happier if it was won by Asafa. However, he can still break this record if he wants to. The olympic pressure is now off. Asafa will move on to bigger and better…his race has only just begun. My family and I are HUGE Asafa fans! We are praying for you… Keep humble and God will do the rest. WE LOVE YOU ASAFA…DON’T BE DISCOURAGED!!
On another note….
Everytime American sneeze, Jamaica ketch de cold. So, how is it that we can adapt all the nasty principles and leave out any of the good ones???
Have you ever seen how they rally around their athletes even if they have lost? Why can’t we adopt the same principle? There are many who would give an arm and a leg just to compete in an olympic game. We had 3 in one race. What an accomplishment for such a small island!! We did not get all the medals we had hoped for….so what??? Frater and Asafa should still get some “big up” for representing us so well. They did not have to advance to the finals but they did. That in itself is a major achievement. Our athletes need our support not disparaging remarks thrown at them. They need to know that we still love and support them. They need to know we are proud of them. Lets all just show them some love!!
Well put, well said. I felt disappointed for Asafa myself and think that the ‘Wuss’ is the one who wrote the article in the first place, may God have mercy on him . How ungrateful. For as I sat in relaxation and watched the olympics from swimming, distance running to the hepathalon and the sprints. I lift my hat and respect every athelete that reached thus far as I donot have neither the strength , nerves or stamina to do not even a ounce of what they’ve all done. Usain is undoubtly a blessed child and has really come at a point to carry the torch that Asafa has taken for our country and in this we MUST remain and forever pray for and BLESS all our athletes. I was especially proud to see Michael Frater and we are extremely Blessed to have had 3 excellent runners in the finals. And for that we should be proud not pin pointing out who failed, because realistically speaking the ‘wuss’ writing CANNOT match now nor ever not even the cartoon looking character runner in the first semi-finals of the mens 100m.
I AM PROUD TO BE A JAMAICAN.
Unquestionably one of the most impressive 100m races I have ever seen. Kudos to Usain! Big up yuhself my yute!!!!
Honestly though, I had pegged Asafa to win this one. I was incredibly disappointed by his performance in the final but I empathize with him. I thought, and still think, he has the potential to be the fastest man in the world. Asafa Powell held the record for three years having run 9.77 repeatedly in a two-year span, and later lowering that mark to 9.74 in 2007. He is an athlete about which Jamaica and Jamaicans should be most proud. He has done well! Despite his losses on the some of the biggest stages, he has been a very dominant athlete (race wins), perhaps the most dominant Jamaican athlete to date (although Usain may equal or surpass him).
Take heart Asafa. You have and continue to make Jamaica and Jamaicans proud! Asafa means ‘rising to the occasion’ and I believe you will again. Remember “only a fool is always at his best.”
Hume
A prophet is always without honour in his own country and it seems a world class athlete who ’stumbles’ is no different. While we celebrate Bolt, Shelly-Ann and the rest let us also remember that Asafa is human – we all fail sometimes – and who among all the critics are world beaters – even in their own fields of endeavour?
Let us congratulate ALL our athletes who have sacrificed to carry the Jamaican flag at the Olympics!
Totally agree with you. There is room to recognize the singular achievement of Usain Bolt and not to denigrate Asafa Powell. I have written in my own blog that I believe he is built for this game and still do, based on firsthand experience. No one will say that it will be an easy road for him with his long-term and new-found doubters. He and the MVP track club train hard and honest and are, to a person, humble about their success and potential. Big up to Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sherrone Simpson, and Kerron Stewart. JAM sprinting is looking good.
Win,lose or draw Asafa is still Jamaica’s finest runner of all times. Big up to Usain still but lets not forget all those who have paved the way. Asafa is still my runner no matter what. Only god knows what happened saturday. So for all those who thinks he is a “wuss” y the hell wheren’t u all at the olympics in the finals.
Well said!! I concur totally!!
Hey Hume, I have not seen you since Carimac. Good to know you are alive. I hope you are well.
I have to repent for my own thoughts on Asafa and his performance. I am rebuffed. I too disparaged his what seems to be a lack of mental toughness. I certainly do not agree with Tony and his careless, insensitive “wuss” remark, however I must admit was barely disappointed in Asafa. Strangely,my disapointment extended to thoughts like “I wished Gay was in better form, so that within that big race he would have beat Tyson Gay free and clear.” Wierd right?
I did expect Bolt to medal and in my mind, freed Asafa to do the best he could what ever that was going to be. Hume there is always going to be somebody better, if not now, at some other time. Maybe Asafa’s moment in the sun has passed, maybe not. We’ll see.
Congrats to all our fine athletes. God bless you all.
Thanks for all your comments! Keep them coming. This is a very important discussion which goes well beyond Asafa to a national/cultural condition. I wish to intervene within your commentary here the following:
It is important to uplift our athletes – across all sport in which they compete – when they are doing well But especially when they are not doing well. Others countries – those of Western industrialised areas in particular – have succeeded in this. From my experience living in New Zealand and now Australia, and the evidence is there for all to seee where the Americans and Brits are concerned, they promote, and celebrate their athletes. They sympathise with them in defeat, they build up their lagging faith and self-confidence in those instances when they have been outperformed , and collectively encouarge them unto greater things.
One Australian coach being interviewed on TV here (August 18, 2008) says she tells her swimmers to think of the Olympics ‘as any other race’. Some athletes – as brilliant as they are – can be overcome by the august-ness of the occasion and the pressure to succeed. This statement holds profound resonance in Asafa’s case. I bet American hurdler Lolo Jones had no idea she would have stumbled, and tumbled out as the favourite in the 100m hurdles. Do we execute Brigette Foster – Hylton and Ennis-London for failing yet again to medal? Or do we prop them up and celebrate their acomplishments on the world stage? I rekon we ought to do the latter.
I think we have elevated failure to such a pedestal position so much so that we are unable to see achievement unless it glistens in gold. It is a limiting colonial mentality to be so unable to fully celebrate our victories in ALL their DIMENSIONS. Unless they are doing the almost unhuman feats – akin to ‘Boltism’ – we seem blinded. Asafa will rise again, and if he doesn’t – let us collectively recall when he was in full flight and celebrate that.
I have only one response…let us learn from the Chinese.
Olympic hurdler Liu Xiang still a hero to China
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-olychina19-2008aug19,0,7633138.story
Asafa, son of the land of my birth, I salute you. You have gone where others only dream.
On hearing of your surgery, I thought that you should not have raced. My husband had a similar surgery and it took him a recovery time of five months. But you are much younger than my dear Michael. Younger and stronger than most. This too shall past.
Hang in there. Get up, stand up to run again …relay…your own business…coach…
Grateful to Asafa…Usain and the countless others who have paved the way for us to tread.
Hi Hume
Hope all’s well with you in Australia. As always, your thoughts were very well said — I echo your comments and have to say that the only ‘wuss” here is Mr Morrison. Bolt made me proud but Asafa will always be my hero because he was our first “fastest man” and helped paved the way for Usain and the others to follow. May God continue to bless all of our athletes and the countless other J’cans who are out there doing positive things for our country in various parts of the world.
Take care cuz, Love Tibby
Hi Hume,
I totally agree with you on these points about Asafa. We love Usain too but please please lets not be ungrateful for what Asafa has done. I think you’ll find an article written by Marie Berbick-Graham about how Asafa can rise again, http://www.masscommagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=864&Itemid=1&ed=1
intersting. Thanks again for the insight.