Asafa Powell's favourite tune is the gospel song Lord Walk Beside Me but on Tuesday, it should have been Christopher Cross's Run Like The Wind because that is what the Jamaican did in timing 9.77 seconds in the 100 metres to become the world's fastest man.
The 22-year-old son of a preacher had always threatened to erase the mark of 9.78 seconds set by American Tim Montgomery in Paris in 2002 and which has been overshadowed since by doping allegations.Ironically Powell set his mark on a track where he had suffered perhaps the greatest disappointment of his young career when, highly favored in an open 100M Olympic final last year, he failed to step up to the plate and finished fifth. To compound his misery he dropped out of the 200M but Tuesday's performance now consigns that experience to history.
However, it could all have been very different had he taken his brother Donovan's advice and not become a sprinter.
Asafa travelled to Texas to train with his elder brother a 100M semi-finalist in the 1999 world championships but after several sessions Donovan advised him to do something else.
Instead he remained determined to carry on pursuing his dream and linked up with Jamaican coach Stephen Francis, who showed him videos of the then leading West Indian athlete Ato Boldon, the 1997 world champion at 200M and a four-time Olympic medallist.
However, it was to be Boldon's stablemate Maurice Greene that was to serve as Powell's role model with the 'Kansas City Comet' a proven winner with three world titles, the Olympic crown and the world record set in 1999 on the same track as Powell.
"It is amazing that after Maurice I have also achieved a record in this stadium," said Powell. "I knew I could break the world record and I am very happy that I have succeeded."
"The Sydney Olympics were really the first ones I followed," admitted Powell. "I wanted to be like him (Greene). He was a big influence in why I worked hard to be a good sprinter."
Powell indicated that he would be a real threat to the established stars when prior to the Olympics last year he ran under 10 seconds four times including setting the national record of 9.91 seconds.
While the Games themselves proved a disappointment, it was clear from the outset that he wasn't setting the barrier very high. "I know time is on my side and I can improve a lot more," he said.
Aided by enormous self-belief given his rejection of his brother's advice he is also helped by his father's calling. "My father's faith inspires me a lot," he said.
On Tuesday, he had plenty of faith in himself as he firmly placed Montgomery's mark in the past and with the likes of the other young guns such as Justin Gatlin and Trinidad's Darrel Brown plotted a golden future. Montgomery's former record time could be wiped out if the Court of Arbitration for Sport rules that he was guilty of doping. Montgomery was charged by the US Anti-Doping Agency with using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.
Powell already had the world's fastest time this year, a run of 9.84 seconds at the Jamaica International Invitational on May 8. He also ran a 9.85 on June 9 in the Czech Republic. His race on Tuesday came with a tailwind of 1.6 metres per second, well below the legal limit of 2.0. Now Powell is looking forward to the World Championships in Helsinki. "Just wait and see," Powell said. "You haven't seen the last of it. Who knows? Maybe I'll run 9-something-lower."
While contemporaries like Greene and Gatlin have the swagger, Powell retains a laid back demeanour. "I've always been taught to stay humble, and stay calm and relaxed," he said. "I'm not the type to get caught up in the hype. I don't want to ever change that."
Time Athlete Date Venue
10.02 Charles Greene (US) Oct 13, 1968 Mexico City
9.95 Jim Hines (US) Oct 14, 1968 Mexico City
9.93 Calvin Simth (US) Jul 3, 1983 Colorado Springs
9.93 Carl Lewis (US) Aug 30, 1987 Rome
9.93 Carl Lewis (US) Aug 17, 1988 Zurich
9.92 Carl Lewis (US) Sep 24, 1988 Seoul
9.90 Leroy Burrell (US) Jun 14, 1991 New York
9.86 Carl Lewis (US) Aug 25, 1991 Tokyo
9.85 Leroy Burrell (US) July 6, 1994 Lausanne
9.84 Donovan Bailey (Can) Jul 27, 1996 Atlanta
9.79 Maurice Greene (US) Jun 16, 1999 Athens
9.78 Tim Montgomery (US) Sep 14, 2002 Paris
9.77 Asafa Powell (Jam) Jun 15, 2005 Athens
