Asafa Powell opens up about his "failures" at the Olympics and World Championships & being injured
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
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Justin Gatlin
Instagram : / justingatlin
Twitter : / justingatlin
Rodney Green
Instagram : / rg2eagle
Tidal League
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Twitter : / tidalleague
It really was tough to see Asafa lose as a Jamaican. Jamaicans always wanted him to win
It's true.A lot of people don't know what these athletes goes through during their time competing.Respect to Asapa Powell.❤❤❤
I was injury prone starting from high school until I finished in college. I always felt bad because all of the major athletes weren't broken like me. Nope, they were. But just on a higher level of competing where it didn't look like much.
Big up to Asafa. In Spite of all his challenges he is still among the great ones in the sport.
Dude ran 9.72 in 2008 just few weeks after Olympics...i think it was more of a mental thing
💯
Peaked at wrong time
Or his huge muscles bugging out, this guy had one of the best mindsets what you talking about!
It’s anxiety lol. He don’t got the dawg in him
Exactly, he couldn't run through the rounds.
"Faiure means you're trying"- David Goggins 🍿👀 🏃🏾♂️💥💨💨💨
Stay hard
@@lsangmalsangma5401 yessir
Wow!
These guys are elite level athletes. There isn’t any stone left unturned. We’re used to seeing the professionalism of the athletes in team sports, but these blokes are legit a whole different level.
Asafa, you could come back after finishing 4th or 5th in a final, showing no sign of injury, then run a blistering relay leg to help set the world records, and then dance in celebration afterwards. I don’t buy this injury bullshit. The injury was in his mind, his psyche; he was simply not mentally strong enough. Even if he was carrying a slight injury on each of those big occasions, he still had it in him to run better in the final, because he came out every time and proved that he could do it in the relay. He was just a choker. He just needs to admit that he could not handle the pressure of the big meets, like the Olympics. If Asafa speaks honestly, the right discussion to be having would be about how he feels standing at the start line, what’s going through his mind, the effects of the pressure and nerves on his body, how the stress manifest itself physically, how it basically cripples him, makes him slower. That’s what he should be honestly talking about. Forget pride, Asafa, don’t make excuses, tell the truth. It’s fine that your nerves overpowered you in the individual event but not in the relay - it’s a different kind of pressure in the individual event compared to the relay. I suppose it’s too late for you to come clean since you have been feigning and blaming injuries for so long. Many people know anyway, that it is because you were not mentally strong enough to handle the pressure.
He was talking about 2012
He and you talk about different situations. In 2003 world champs he was out with an unlucky false start by somebody. In 2004 he ran 9.94 with 9.91 personal best. In 2005 he was injured, in 2007 (this is what you talk about), he got beaten by the later 3rd fastest Tyson Gay in the individual, and as he saw he was beaten he gave up and won only bronze.... Then later he ran awesome on 4x100m), in 2008 again he was beaten by far by Bolt amd he gave up then an amazing 4x100m. 2009 he ran okay, 9.84, bronze medal. 2011 out of injury, 2012 ran injured (no he didn't run 4x100m), 2013 out because of suspension and he was already about finishing his carreer, only thing was to get an olympic relay gold in 2016 because the 2008 relay was taken away.
So. He had 9 big events with some chance. On 5 of those events he was without chance to create something big, because of bad luck. On the remaining 4 once he ran 3 hundreds close to his personal best and beaten by Gatlin, then he was beaten by Gay and having bronze, then he was beaten by Bolt who was crazy, then he was beaten by Bolt and Gay where both were crazy.
I mean, yes he was not the best at big occasions, but he was also unfortunate.
Also the time shown us who with he had to compete. His competition in his carreer was a 9.74, 9.69, 9.58 runner. And he was a 9.72 runner. And always had at least one of them as opponent, but usually more of them. I mean....
To be 100% fair, to really get a gold medal on world champs or olympics He had only 2 chances. 2004 and 2007. And he was real fauvorite only in 2007. Still he had Tyson Gay as opponent....😅
So here from the chair it is very easy to judge the things. The reality is that He is the 4th fastest 100m runner of all time and had many amazing moments, breaking world record several occasions, winning Golden League as well. Actually in those times having 100m world record or winning Golden League was kind of as big of a thing as winning world championship or olympics.
@azujparadigma6568 Nonsense. Powell came into the 2004 Final as the fastest semi final qualifier and with a better PB than Gatlin at that point. Huge choke in 2007. Easy silver medal missed in 2008 in his career best season. Drugs in 2013, had a PB of 9.81 in 2015 but ran 10 flat in the final lol. There are some injuries in 2005, 2011 and 2012 for sure. But the only time he ran well in a major competition was 2009.
@@azujparadigma6568 Powell got beaten by freakin' Derrek Atkins in 2007 and Francis Obikwelu in 2004 imao.🫣
@@chamindujanith6337 I do not think he was interested in those silvers. Once in 2006 maybe he was nominated to Laureus award which is the best overall sportman of the year. Do you think he was interested in that silver in 2007 for example? Yes, for the team, but not for the individual. Did you see him having the bronze in 2009? It meant nothing to him, you could see in the last meters. He saw he was beaten badly by two people. I do not think it meant anything really that bronze for him. Anyway if he would have won those silvers he would be nagged now like he is the silverboy when he should have won at least one major gold.😅 Which for he had 2 chances. And only one as fauvorite.
Justin Gatlin is one cool dude ! Never seen this side of him 🙌🙌
He wasn't mentally weak when it comes to the diamond league money races
True😂
@@darkmetatron1444 facts
😂😂😂😂behave yourself
And this why I wouldn't advise anyone to represent Jamaica.
Your comment is so stoooopiddd! They are talking about physical fitness in competitions that are three rounds and you're here taling about diamond league and mental toughness. You're either very, very ignorant or just a damned fool.
*I used to think that asafa was mentally weak at major championships*
Wasn't he though?
@@malvinelpinnoy he was yeah
@@malvinelpinnoy *he just said it was injuries? But a week after a major championship he would run faster time??*
@@Isweartolucifer that's exactly why i think your initial take as him being mentally weak is true! Asafa never really had those "injury" moments during heats, did he? No. But i can count the times he DNF'd in the finals even at the Olympics, where a much stronger psychology is required to handle the gravity and pressure of lining up against the best racers of all time. A lot of athletes who've done it at a high level say they get nervous on the big stage and Asafa did let those nerves get to him
@@malvinelpinnoy *Dispite asafa claims of injury I retract my statement (asafa) didn't preform at major championships cause he was weak mentally. Kids who are pursuing a career in any sports (they need to hire a sports psychologists) very important*
Give much thanks for all your hard works and trying efforts to both of you. Great moments in track & field and great honesty now articulating.
i do believe Asafa was under some sort of “clandestine manipulations” that most might not understand due to being fearful of such topics.
Honestly..to me it was like he was being threatened not to medal in certain races.
He is very humble..not mentioning personal family tragedies that may have also affected certain situations.
All in all..we give thanks for all hard works and perseverances.
i got to see you live equalling your world record in Gateshead and have photographs of the day somewhere still. Peace.
I respectfully disagree with Asafa. Granted, he may have had injuries for some of the global finals but not all of them! Especially Beijing, where he came back and run the greatest closing relay leg we’ve ever seen. I also wanted him to win a global final but it’s unfortunate he struggled with the pressure.
2004 he was the favourite.
Yes We all could see anxiety from his body language
He never talked about these injuries so a lot of y’all ran with the mentally weak label but he was hurt most of the time.
@@randymoss789 You are obviously his personal dick rider...and it is clear that you know nothing about sports psychology if you believe what he is saying abt being injured...All the time so? Except during diamond league events right? Also, if what he is saying is true then why did both his legendary former coach, Stephen Francis, and Powell himself mention on previous occasions that his biggest problem was the mental/anxiety issues that would plague him before the big races?...So much so that he was actually seeing/supposed to be seeing a sports psychologist to help him work through those issues. All he does is make excuses and try to revise history...But the record, which we all jave access to, and which includes previous interviews from both himself and Francis, tells a completely different story.
But he could come back after finishing 4th or 5th in a final, showing no sign of injury, then run a blistering relay leg to help set the world records, and then dance in celebration afterwards. I don’t buy this injury bullshit. The injury was in his mind, his psyche; he was simply not mentally strong enough. Even if he was carrying a slight injury on each of those big occasions, he still had it in him to run better in the final, because he came out every time and proved that he could do it in the relay. He was just a choker. He just needs to admit that he could not handle the pressure of the big meets, like the Olympics. If Asafa speaks honestly, the right discussion to be having would be about how he feels standing at the start line, what’s going through his mind, the effects of the pressure and nerves on his body, how the stress manifest itself physically, how it basically cripples him, makes him slower. That’s what he should be honestly talking about. Forget pride, Asafa, don’t make excuses, tell the truth. It’s fine that your nerves overpowered you in the individual event but not in the relay - it’s a different kind of pressure in the individual event compared to the relay. I suppose it’s too late for you to come clean since you have been feigning and blaming injuries for so long. Many people know anyway, that it is because you were not mentally strong enough to handle the pressure.
@@georgiabarker6852 nobody is reading all that, it’s always people that haven’t accomplished nothing in life that have time to sit here here and dissect other people experiences and come up with what you think happened when you don’t live in that persons body 😂😂😂
@@georgiabarker6852 Exactly...
@@randymoss789Seriously lol. Dude just wrote one of the dumbest comments I’ve ever seen 😂
I'm glad that he is talking openly about this because that was the issue with him. Asada will break world records at some unknown event but come up way short or pull up with injuries at the biggest meets. I'm not hating on him at all but that was the label on him. I'm glad to see him doing well and open and honest today.
The year was 2004 and It was the Olympics 100m finals. Of course as a Jamaican I was rooting for Asafa, however just before the race there was one frame of the video that showed a worried look on Asafa's face. Once I saw that I told my friends that he was not going to Win. The rest is history.
Can we get Asafa say what was actually going through his mind right at that moment before they got to the blocks ?
2007 and 2008 were the years where Asafa sold. There’s no excuse to lose to Derrick Atkins, and to get 5th at Beijing, running 9.9s when those same years you ran 9.74 and 9.72, within 1 month of the championship. I don’t blame Asafa for the other years but those two years stick out like a sore thumb.
I agree with you. Yes injury stopped him a few time but not all the times. Cause often times after losing a major finals he would go on diamond leagues day's later beating the very same guys
Seem like you never listen to him or you probably never did track.
Yeah he ran 9.95 in final and finished fifth . All he needed to run 9.88 to win silver , without pressure he could have easily run 9.75 to 9.85 and won silver. It was medal on plate for him in that Olympics.
I am not saying asafa wasnt troubled with injuries but what about those times he lost a major finals then days later he be winning diamond league races beating the same exact guys.... how does he explain that cause those were clearly not injury related!!!!
Asafa was nervous as hell in the Olympics 2004 and 2008
Also he didn’t have good endurance. Never had. Those 2-3 heats took a lot out of him.
If you watch closely he rarely dips at the finish line.
How many rounds elite athletes run in the diamond league, how many in major championships? Do the extrapolation
strides get smaller if you cramp under pressure. that's why he ran his WR at a random meeting. no pressure at all
I think it’s an excuse because it’s EVERYTIME!!!
I remember when he flew to Miami and back in less than a day to get looked at, eventually the doctor's told him they could do nothing so he got an injection to numb the pain just to qualify for WC.
No asafa you were in shape at the 2007 world championship you broke the record running 9.7 in the heat you just don't have the heart, you won a lot of diamond league races that never mattered but you just don't deliver on big days
Something was going on with Asafa,it wasn't normal.But it was just a part of life journey.I found it difficult when he ran one the time and we were all expecting him to win,it never happened.He said he panicked!!!i couldn't comprehend,
Interesting! I'm glad you said it out your mouth. It now makes sense what the pastor was saying. He probably saw the problem and god gave the instructions how to break it/ remove it. He said you would have outshined someone else.
As a kid I didn't realize what was the hype about Asafa Powell hitting 9.72. As an adult I realize now the feat that you both achieved was a generational in hitting 70s mark .Idk if there will be another era of the greatest caliber of the fastest athletes in the world.
Nope, he chocked whenever he was the favourite.
My favourite athlete
Cmon now, yall were great, you just happened to co-exist with ⚡
Asafa might very was experiencing all these things but he also just didn't have the mental strengths to compete. That was the difference between Gatlin and Asafa. Gatlin was just a competitor. He competed with Bolt knowing he had little chances of beating Bolt. That's why he's a champion and Asafa is not. I mean no disrespect to Asafa for saying that because I am an Asafa fan and would prefer him over Bolt all day. Love Bolt but Asafa was my guy.
He always looked petrified on the start line of a major final. He didn't know how to deal with the pressure he looked good leading up to and after major championships
Maybe cause he knew he was hurt and wont be able to medal. Its mot easy to run all out with an injury. If you havent done it then you should be mindful of what you say. Sometimes your body does its own thing or somwthing else comes up that hampers your ability to perform. I do think his coaches didnt help him either in making sure physically and mentally ready.
This is why I can’t stand when people bag champions for not winning every race. If you have won gold then you are a champion, it may not happen every time but that’s normal and doesn’t take anything away from the previous victory!
So, asafa, were you ever impacted by the mental component of the competition? As a former amateur 100 and 200m athlete myself, i am very familiar with the mental component of the race, where if your mind wasnt together at that moment, everything felt out of cordination and the legs felt like jelly. Lol
I am throwing out the question if you or Justin would admit to being affected by that? Lol
Gatlin got the upset over Powell in 2004 in Athens. Asafa didn't even get on the podium.
But he is such a perfect sprinter though
Jamaican fans being so hard on their athletes doesn’t help either
Master of excuses.
Justin Gatlin had the fierce competitive nature that from day one Asafa just didnt have the mental fortitude on the big stage when it matters the most
After getting hurt so often after a while your self belief goes down and that’s where your start to have doubts in your ability
@@TylerYen-io8nnThat is not true. He admitted himself that he would lose courage and tighten up when challenged and was even saying that his coach thinks it is a mental thing. So he is just downright lying now.
Powell used to bottle it in big races. So it’s sad that he is telling lies.
Why does a clean athlete associate himself and try to relate to someone who tried to cheat him!
Both asafa and gatlin were banned..who is the clean one here
@@aswinsoundararajan2221 Oh, but cheats. Fair enough.
🍿👀🏃🏾♂️💥💨💨💨💨
How u go into the finals with WL times and come FIFTH and not even run a PB? And he did it TWICE! The guy’s mentally weak. He’s not a competitor.
He didnt take enough steroids to win
If it was up to this man, Jamaica would have no Olympics or world championships men’s gold medal to celebrate.
Powell is just a choker don't find any excuses Powell. This man will literally come last in the Olympics and world championships and right after he will beat the same athletes a week later at the diamond events all the time throughout his career. He's just a choker but an excellent sprinter though.
Nah sometimes you get bad luck
@@willneverstop lol, maybe you don't remember all those record leg runs asfa did on the 4x100 relay right after he lost.
Maybe it's the Voodoo doll he's talking about 😂
Asafa is a legend bro. Show some respect man you have no idea what you are claiming. coming from an American myself who’s been here before bolt came in the picture and when Gatlin had to sit down from the PED allegations, asafa revived the sport and changed the game of sprints and was the first sprinter above 6ft to prove that you can be a tall and big sprinter. First to drop a 9.7 and make it look effortless. Most sub 10 seconds ever in history. Bro where is your compass of morals and values ?!
I’m sure he appreciates your support
Why would you think it was wise to mention a v doll? It will appear as if you believe in it. No, it was you.
a lot of trolls in these comments :D
I wouldn’t classify all disappointing finishes as failures - some are legit setbacks from one’s own personal failures yet some are literally folks being ‘rare limited’ by the Creator for a purpose bigger than them. Asafa paved the way for Bolt, just as Merlene Ottey paved the way for VCB, , Shelly ann Fraser Pryce similarly Maureece Green paved the way for Gatlin and Gatlin Tyson Gay…each rate limited to a degree …very few are ordained to become the Muhammad Ali of a sport (really only 1).
Don Quarrie and Raymond Stewart paved the way for Bolt
Bolt was big internationally before Powell ever was.
But u had the fastest times going into the finals tho…so 🤷🏿♂️😒
never injured just wasn't mentally strong wen it comes to championships and Olympics
So you're saying he's lying?
Asafa, you must admit that you were a choker at the big events, like Olympics. You couldn’t handle the pressure of the big occasions. Right now, you are making excuses for not delivering when you should. You needed a good psychologist, Asafa, to help you get stronger mentally. You claim injury for the 100m individual finals but ALWAYS come back out and run a blistering relay leg, dancing afterwards and no sign of injury. I don’t buy what you are saying, Asafa. You just could not deal with the pressure on the big stage, and so you crumbled in the individual event. But luckily for us, you are good in a team, so you ran your heart out for the relays and helped us get those relay world records. Thank you for that. But just own up to the “choking” in the individual 100m. Your poor performances there, had nothing to do with injuries, at least, not every time. Stop lying about it. It’s ok to tell the truth. We know you couldn’t handle the pressure, and that’s fine.
The excuse can't be injuries every single time
😂😂😂
Asafa was not consistent as a pro athlete that’s what was really detrimental to him
Exactly. His biggest problem was mental not physical. Look at Bolt in 2015 at World Championships when he upset Gatlin. He was not in good health and had been injured many times throughout that season. Yet he was able to win...Why? Because of his superior mental toughness. I don't believe Powell that he was injured most of times, and also many other athletes were not at their best but they still managed to deliver. So, the excuses are tiring and just incredulous at this point.
@@amandaquest105you’re comparing two people of different genetic makeup lol they don’t have the same body fool
AP’s lack of confidence at the big race events was always on full display. If you look back at many of the events in question you will see where AP quit after being passed up or realizing he cannot win the race he shut down. He was exceptional a setting World Records at Diamond League and regular events
@@MrDrew2121 Exactly. Stop making excuses and just own up to it like Powell and his former coach Stephen Francis have done on previous occasions. The liyad attempts to revise history just make everything that come out of his mouth questionable now. Yes, he was good at Diamond League because a lot of times Bolt and Yohan were not there competing with him and of course because his main thing/focus has always been on making money, which is his right but don't try to change history now because the record will show.
@@amandaquest105 I am not sure I understand your post as there are no excuses supporting AP’s race results at the highest levels.