Asafa ‘grateful’ for Superstar Award

Veteran sprinter Asafa Powell said he is grateful to receive the Superstar Award presented by The Elite Weekend’s Bleu & Bougie organisers.

Speaking briefly with The Sunday Gleaner ahead of the event, he said, “I feel blessed receiving this honour because it shows that I’ve been impactful in the sport and that is something to be proud of.”

In the early 2000s, Powell led the pack being the first Jamaican sprinter to achieve sub-10 seconds over the 100-metre sprint.

Though Powell hung up his spikes officially in 2022, he has continued to be an admirer of the sport and keep a finger on the pulse of track and field in both Jamaica and across the globe.

Reflecting on his time in the sport, he said, “As I reflect on my career, I would say wearing our national colours at the Olympics or World Championships both gave me great joy and had the greatest impact.”

The former world record holder ran his final race, a 4x100 metre relay, in May 2021, at the G.C. Foster College in St Catherine, the same location where he first made history with his 9.99 finish.

These days, most of his time is allotted to building his empire. Powell has a podcast and channel with his wife, Alyshia Miller Powell, and a channel dedicated to cars that can also break the sub-10 barrier.

“For now I’m mostly focused on building my YouTube and podcast platforms with good content and expanding my reach and audience.”

He continued, “I’m enjoying retirement mainly because it allows me to spend more time with family.”

As it relates to his current role in track and field, he told The Sunday Gleaner, “My role in guiding the next generation is to continue to be a positive role model off the track just as I was on the track.”

shanel.lemmie@gleanerjm.com