With Track and Field’s 2012 indoor season now underway, the inaugural USATF US Open held Saturday January 28th at Madison Square Garden marked the return of former world record holder Jamaica’s Asafa Powell after an eight year absence from the indoor circuit. “It’s the first time since 2004 and I’m excited to see what I can do, where I’m at in my training,” states Powell who is also “excited to be here in New York as well.”
Powell last raced in New York in 2009 at the then Reebok Grand Prix on Randall’s Island registering a return-from-injury seventh place performance in the 100 meter after seeing his countryman Usain Bolt break his world record the year prior at the very same Reebok Grand Prix meet. “I’m not in New York very often so whenever I come here I try to make the best of it,” explains Powell who hoped to have some of that same record breaking luck adding, “Usain came her a few years ago and broke the world record, so definitely everyone can see there is some good luck here and I’m trying to get some of it and definitely have some fun.” But only little fun as the sprinter jokes, “[it’s] going to be over very fast, you know like two steps.”
After an uncharacteristically slow start out his blocks, the Jamaican crossed the 50-meter line in 5.64 seconds at the World’s Most Famous Arena, .08 seconds shy of the 5.56 world and American record mark held by Donovan Bailey and Maurice Greene respectfully. “Maurice Greene, I know he’s a great starter, he’s had the world record for a number of years now, so it must be a fast time,” says Powell who ran his first 50m race of career admitting, “I was learning about a good time for the 50 meters because it’s new to me. I didn’t know that there was even a world record for it.”
For the most part, the sprinter considers the early start to his season this Olympic year as mainly still training explaining, “I think it’s better when you get some good competition in very early. I know that indoor is a bit different from the outdoors because we’re running a 100 meters, it’s not all the same, just to come here, it’s pretty much working on your first part, the first half of your race, trying to get to the front, trying to get your start correct.” As much as Powell uses the race to work on his physical mechanics, he also states that it offers a psychological advantage as well, “It’s good to get your confidence from early, so being out there with these guys and beating them from early, gives you a boost where confidence is concerned, so I think that plays a very important part and the more confident you are I think the better you can focus and perform.”
As much as the indoor season will serve Powell in his preparation for London in 2012, he also equally recognizes his return to indoors as a benefit to his competition. “I think most of the athletes want to gauge themselves off me and I think the closer they run to me I think it kind of builds them more and they know what they need to work on,” believes Powell quickly adding, “And I will know what I need to work on as well. It’s training for them, you know, they’re trying to test themselves to see where they’re at, and I ‘m excited as well to be competing with them and to go to the UK next month. I’m way, way excited!” Powell runs in February at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham, UK where a 35 year-old 2011 World’s 100m Bronze medalist in the form of Kim Collins anxiously awaits the arrival of the world most sub-10 runner.
“Yes, I enjoy running fast and being on top,” states Powell, who again wears the target of the man to beat this indoor season, explaining, “but the injuries, they can really hold you back a lot, they can put you down, you know, coming back from injuries, I’m doing great.” And injuries at the least opportune time have prevented the 29 year-old world-class sprinter from securing an individual world title. “Over the years, I’ve been injured and still performing, being up there with the guys, it’s not my best performances, but definitely I was still there and coming back now not seeing any injuries, I’m just kind of excited to see what I can do when I’m injury free.”
Now injury free, Powell travels for the first time with a doctor to all his meets, “It’s something new,” reveals Powell. “We’re putting in our training. Before we didn’t have a doctor. Everywhere we go, we take a doctor to try and prevent all the problems.”
And to the problem of the psychological pressure of not owning an individual Olympic or World title Powell offers, “Being the favorite to win in a championship and then in the finals you fade to the back . . . it can effect you mentally, but it all depends on how you take it and I’m a very strong individual and I’ve seen many athletes battle, fight to the end and got their world title when people least expect it, so the main thing is just not to give up, once you have it your hand you know that you can achieve it and just push to the end.”
And for Powell who hopes for that end to be on the medal stand at the Summer Games, he says to perform better under the pressure he is, “taking training a lot more serious and finishing all [his] workouts . . .because I used to get injured, I kind of didn’t want to work to hard because I’d been over working myself, but the aim of it is just to push yourself and try and fix all your weaknesses. And I’ve been doing that, working on all my weaknesses.”
And it will take an Asafa Powell absent all his weaknesses to defeat his fellow countrymen Usain Bolt and the emerging 2011 World 100m Champion Yohan Blake who along with Nesta Carter and Michael Frater established a new world record in the Men’s 4 x100-meter relay this past August in Daegu with a time of 37.04 seconds. “Seeing my team break the world record without me. I always say to myself, ‘What would have happened if I was on that team?’ I know we can break it again. I know we can go sub 37, so we’ll see. We just have to get the stick around, “ says Powell.
Now with his name removed from two world records, the first Jamaican to break the world 100m record in June of 2005 then held by USA’s Tim Montgomery definitely contemplates rewriting his legacy and Jamaican sprint history. “Yes. I’ve considered it a lot,” conveys Powell convincingly stating, “Believe me when I say, people really look up to me, people really believe in me in Jamaica. It’s kind of surprising, if you go to Jamaica and ask around, ask the questions, you know that people really appreciate what I am doing and they still believe in me and I think that’s what keeps me going to know that my fans and my country still supports me.”
Powell also receives a great deal of support from his shoe company, the Chinese manufacturer Li Ning, “They’re putting out a 100 percent coming this Olympic Games. They’re very fanatical as well. Believe me, the support is there, to get support from a shoe company is very important. They’re doing everything; whatever I need, they send it, maybe I should tell them I need a car.”
Powell had promised himself a Lamborghini with a Gold Medal victory at last year’s World Championships but was denied a trip to the Italian high performance auto manufacturer after injury once again sidelined the Jamaican. And when asked about his choice of vehicle for an Olympic Gold Medal, it is where Powell exudes massive confidence, “Definitely, there are many cars out there and I always wanted a Lamborghini, so if I get that Gold Medal or let’s say, I’m kind of a bit confident right now, so let’s say when I get that Gold Medal, I’m going to buy myself that car.”
Powell’s presumed trip to the auto dealership would then come at the expense of the current World Record Holder, Usain Bolt who were expected to race cars, but the contest never materialized. “Usain is a young driver for me, so I don’t want to really race him right now, “ jokes Powell of the man who most assuredly stands between himself and that gold medal podium position in London this summer. “I think winning that Gold Medal is very, very important because 90 percent of the time people, they don’t know who finished second or third,” says Powell understanding, “it just who is on the top of the medal podium, so my aim is just to get up there. Just being on there is very important as well, in maybe second or third, it’s very important, the main one that counts in track and field is at the top, the gold medal.”
And of the US sprinters who will also seek to be poised upon that Olympic medal stand, Powell states, “This year is a very serious year. I don’t know what Usain or Tyson are doing, but I’m sure they’re working hard; I’m working hard because I want that world title. I’m just praying to God that I stay healthy and if I go out there and I don’t win a gold medal and I get a personal best, I’ll still be happy with that because that will prove that I give my best and I can’t control what anyone else does.”
But what USA and Jamaica do on the track makes for the best of heated rivalries, which Powell characterizes as follows, “I think it’s similar. It’s hard to make the US team and it’s hard to make the Jamaican team. We both have guys running very fast, guys who can produce some fast times. This rivalry has been going on for years, USA was leading for while and then Jamaica took over and we’re leading the way now and we’re trying to maintain our lead and I’m sure US is coming full blown for us.”
Hopefully fans will not have to wait until August in London to see the showdown as injuries and scheduling conflicts have prevented fewer head-to-head contests between the top male sprinters in recent years which Powell to an extent agrees has been an issue for the sport. “I think we can go more head-to-head, but sometimes, maybe, if you go too much it will take a bit of the excitement away; but people want to see us run; the fans want to see us compete against each other, definitely, I think there can be more head-to-heads, if it’s even like two, three of us at one time, it should happen.”
But what will likely not happen is Powell running the 4x400 meter relay. “To be honest I don’t really like the 400 meter,” laughs Powell opening the window of possibility adding, “I can run it [and] if I’m doing great in training and I go to the Olympic Games and I do something ridiculous, my confidence will be all in the close, there will be no stopping me, I’ll just run the 4x4.”
And post race, Powell comically attributes the uncanny warm New York weather start to his indoor season to bringing “a special pair of shoes,” further explaining, “I put everything in it, you know, as soon as I walked out the airport, I took off my shoe, I realized the weather kind of changed so I think that was the way I outsmarted them,” unfortunately informing, “I wish I could leave the warm weather here, but I have to take it back to Jamaica.”
