All Kidding Aside

Where is Asafa Powell? Over the last month Powell has been demoted from the 100-meter world recorder holder to second fastest of all-time by his countryman, Usain Bolt. Bolt may have also won over the hearts of the Jamaicans. Phrases like “people’s champion” have been used to describe him. Yeah man, proud Jamaican fans could be heard cheering wildly in New York for the new champion Usain Bolt as he reigned in true Jamaican style.

In the lead up to Beijing, it has been Usain Bolt, Jeremy Wariner vs. LaShawn Merritt, and Veronica Campbell getting all the attention, not the former 100-meter world record holder. Can you remember the last major race he has competed in during this 2008 season? Was it the race to recovery from knee stitches due to falling up the stairs or the race to recovery from a strained pectoral muscle? Who knows. The point is that Powell needs to find his way to a track meet and drop the mother of all bombs in the 9.85ish range to let competitors know that underestimating him at this point could be bad for their careers.

Speaking of running, Asafa is slated to appear next at the Trinidad and Tobago National Championships later this month. This is a tune up before Bolt and Powell are expected to clash for the first time in the 100-meters at the Jamaica Trials. Powell has not run competitively since his 10.04 opener in Melbourne, Australia in February.

By Jay Hicks.