JAPAN: ATHLETICS: Asafa Powell admits giving up in world 100 metres final

Record ID: 464813

  • Title: JAPAN: ATHLETICS: Asafa Powell admits giving up in world 100 metres final
  • Date: 28th August 2007
  • Summary: OSAKA, JAPAN (AUGUST 27, 2007) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF NIKE SHOP IN OSAKA CLOSE UP OF ASAFA POWELL ASAFA POWELL TESTING HIS ONE-METRE SPRINT ABILITY SCREEN SAYING POWELL CAME 31ST IN ONE-METRE SPRINT AND SHOWS POWEL'S TIME (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASAFA POWELL, 100 METRES BRONZE MEDALLIST AND WORLD RECORD HOLDER, SAYING: "I am not sure what is happening, but you know, I can't be negative right now, I'll try to be positive. This is the fourth championship that I am seeing since I've been in track and field. It was the '03 world championships I got it was the Jon Drummond thing like you said then in the '04 Olympics I didn't do what I was supposed to. You know I was very immature, very young at that time. '05 I was injured and this year I ran and I was in the final and got third when I was supposed to win the race and I made mistakes. I am still very young, although track and field's a very unfair sport but I believe in god and I know he is going to carry me through and so I am just looking forward for better things." ATHLETE TESTING HIS ONE-METRE SPRINT ABILITY SCREEN SHOWING TEST RESULT (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASAFA POWELL, 100 METRES BRONZE MEDALLIST AND WORLD RECORD HOLDER, SAYING: "To me... I wanted a gold medal very badly and as I said when I saw that I wasn't gonna get the gold medal I just stopped running because I said there's no coming back from this. I was very very confident that I was there, in the medal position, so I just stopped running." POWELL WATCHING ATHLETE PERFORMING ONE METRE SPRINT (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASAFA POWELL, 100 METRES BRONZE MEDALLIST AND WORLD RECORD HOLDER, SAYING: "Well yesterday I, before the race, I was very calm, relaxed, I wasn't nervous and I was ready to run but in the middle of the race that kind of pressure got to me yesterday. The pressure from the crowd, from the media and everything didn't, I wasn't thinking about that yesterday. There was no... I felt very free yesterday before the race, very relaxed but when Tyson (Gay) came on there he gave me a little pressure there I just panicked." (Reporter asking: Are we gonna see a world record this year?) "Yes." POWELL TESTING STARTING BLOCK POWELL HELPING ATHLETE CHILDREN WATCHING ATHLETE PERFORMING ONE METRE SPRINT (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASAFA POWELL, 100 METRES BRONZE MEDALLIST AND WORLD RECORD HOLDER, SAYING: "Yes, I am going out there and I am going to give a world record. I didn't get to run fast this world championship but I am gonna bounce right back." POWELL PRESENTED WITH PHOTO OF HIM PERFORMING ONE METRE SPRINT POWELL SHOWING PHOTO TO THE CAMERA POWELL SIGNING CAP POWELL GIVING AUTOGRAPHS TO CHILDREN MEDIA POWELL LEAVING NIKE SHOP
  • Embargoed: 12th September 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA2B4XRGI6QG47IQ45DRFOUNOFO
  • Story Text: American Tyson Gay surged past Jamaica's Asafa Powell to win gold in an electrifying men's 100 metres final at the world championships on Sunday (August 26).
    Gay caught world record holder Powell after 50 metres and clocked 9.85 seconds, with Derrick Atkins coming home strongly to claim silver for Bahamas in 9.91.
    Powell, whose world record of 9.77 was never in serious danger, took the bronze, his face contorted in disappointment as he crossed the line in 9.96.
    "When I saw I wasn't in gold medal contention, I gave up. I just stopped running," Powell told Reuters in an interview on Monday (August 27), less than 24 hours after he lost to the American.
    "I said to myself there was no coming back from this."
    The loss was a major disappointment since Powell has never won a global title despite having run a world record 9.77 seconds three times.
    "I am not sure what is happening, but I can't be negative right now," said Powell, who was disqualified for a false start along with American Jon Drummond in the semi-finals of the 2003 world championships, failed to medal in the 2004 Olympic final and missed the 2005 worlds through injury.
    "I felt very free, very relaxed before the race," he said, reflecting on Sunday night's drama.
    "But when Tyson came on and gave me a little pressure, I just panicked."
    The leader through the first half of the highly anticipated race, Powell faded to third behind Bahamian Derrick Atkins as Gay roared to his first global title.
    He promised to make amends by breaking his world record before the end of the year.
    "I didn't get to run fast at these world championships but I am going to bounce right back," Powell said. "I am going out there and I am going to give a world record."
    He said he looked forward to racing Gay again soon, perhaps in Brussels next month.
    Smiling and laughing, he seemed buoyed by an overflowing turnout at an appearance at sponsor Nike's downtown Osaka store.
    In a store game testing one-metre sprint ability, the world record holder could come only 31st best.
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