“99% of the time at a championship, I was never at my best" - 2x World Record Holder Asafa Powell on never winning an individual Olympic medal

By Adityan Pillai

Modified Jul 18, 2024 01:23 GMT

Asafa Powell recently spoke about never winning an individual medal at the coveted Olympic Games. The Jamaican athlete, who held set the 100m World record twice, revealed the intricacies of his performances in major events that led him to miss out on a medal at the major event.

Asafa Powell holds the record for being the fourth fastest 100m athlete of all time. He clocked 9.72s at Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne in 2008 to etch his name in history books. Despite being one of the fastest sprinters of all time, he never won an individual medal in the Olympic Games.

Several Track and Field critics signaled it to be an athlete in the Usain Bolt era which is considered to have one of the most competitive 100m line-ups in the sport. However, Asafa Powell had a different opinion.

He appeared on the Ready Set Go podcast and spoke about the topic of missing out on an individual medal at the Olympics.

“99% of the time at a championship, I was never at my best, and I always ask myself, is there some…it felt like somebody had a voodoo doll and everytime something is supposed to happen.. I'm in the best shape of my life and two weeks before the championship, boom-groin, boom-hamstring. There was always something," he added.

According to him, the last-moment injuries right before major events prevented him from performing at his full potential.

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Asafa Powell opens up on struggling with injuries at the Olympics

15th IAAF World Athletics Championships Beijing 2015 - Day Eight

On the Ready Set Go podcast, Asafa Powell spoke about the ordeal of struggling with injuries ahead of big events. While explaining his struggles with injuries, he recalled the 2012 London Olympics.

Powell began the 2012 season with great momentum after clocking his personal best in the 60m. However, he tore his groin at the Jamaican Championships.

" In London, I remember, I was like I'm am going to try and give this my all but and I knew I was not even close to anything because I tore my groin at the Championships in Jamaica. Two weeks after I'm in the Olympic Games," he said.

Moreover, he opened on being a part of one of the most historic 100m Olympic races with a very competitive line-up including Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, and Justin Gatlin.

Despite having a strong start, Powell had to slow down as after the issues came back once again after the 40m mark. He finished 7th after clocking 11.990s