Athletics Hero: Asafa Powell

Full Name: Asafa Powell
Nationality: Jamaican
Event: 100 metres, 200 metres
Club: MVP Track & Field Club
Coach: Stephan Francis
Date of birth: November 23, 1982
Place of birth: Spanish Town, Jamaica
Height: 1.90 m
Weight: 88 kg
Personal Bests: 100m - 9.72s ; 200m - 19.90s


Asafa Powell C.D (born November 23, 1982) is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres. He held the 100 m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds respectively. Powell has consistently broken the 10-second barrier in competition, with his personal best of 9.72 s being the fifth fastest time in the history of the event.

Powell competed in the 100 m at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics but failed to convert his success to the world stage, finishing fifth both times. However, he won a gold medal and set the world and Olympic record in the 4 × 100 metres relay with the Jamaican team in Beijing. At the 2007 Osaka World Championships he won a bronze and a silver medal in the 100 m and 4 x 100 m relay respectively and he has been successful at the Commonwealth Games, winning two gold and one silver medal. At the 2009 World Championship he again achieved a Bronze medal in the 100 m and Gold in the 4 x 100 m. Powell has won at the IAAF World Athletics Final five times and is the 100 m record holder for the event.

Sub-10.0 runs (100 m)

To date, Powell has run the 100 m under 10 seconds legally on 60 occasions, breaking the record held by former world record holder Maurice Greene who ran 100 m sub 10's on 53 occasions. Powell has 31 runs in the 9.90 to 9.99 range (second in the category), Greene has the record with 42 between 9.90 to 9.99

Sub-9.90 runs (100 m)

Powell has run under 9.90 seconds 29 times, 22 of which are in the 9.80 to 9.89 range. Maurice Greene is second in this category, with 10 runs in the 9.80 to 9.89 range.

Sub-9.80 runs (100 m)

Powell is one of three men to have run legally under 9.80 seconds more than once, having done so seven times. Bolt and Gay are the other individuals to have achieved this feat.

Sub-10.0 runs, Season (100 m)

Powell is the only man to have run legally under 10.00 seconds 15 times in a single season (2008). He also has the joint-second best sub-10 seasons on record, with 12 runs in 2006 and 2009 and the joint fourth best of 9 runs in 2004, shared with Maurice Greene (1999) and Frank Fredericks (1997).

IAAF World Athletics Tour wins

Powell has recorded a total of 35 wins in IAAF Grand Prix events, 14 coming in Golden League events and 12 in IAAF Super Grand Prix events.

In the seven year history of the IAAF World Athletics Final (2003–2009), he won the most competitions of any male athlete and took home the most prize money in the male events. In his seven appearances at the competition, he won the 100 m four times and the 200 m once, winning US$173,000 in total.