Powell's Statue Unveiled in Jamaica

The two-time world-record holder, Asafa Powell, also known as Sub10 king was noticeably ecstatic at the unveiling of his statue last Sunday. Powell's statue is the fourth in the Jamaica 55 Legacy programme, a programme designed by the Sports Ministry of Jamaica, to pay tribute to our outstanding track and field athletes. The statue was designed by renowned Jamaican sculptor, Basil Watson and depicts Powell charging out of his starting block. His statue joins the statuary of fellow athletes Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Usain Bolt among others.

The Jamaican sprinter, who has broken the 10-second barrier 97 times reflected on the ups and downs of his athletic journey and expressed his gratitude for all the support he has received over the years from his family, friends, teammates and well-wishers. In his speech, he said, “All of Jamaica, I just want to give you guys a big thank you for really keeping me through all these years. It's been a very long time and I am still going, and it's just the grace of God that keeps me going."

10 FACTS ABOUT ASAFA POWELL

Here are some interesting facts about the 37-year-old sprinter.

Fact #1:

He was born on November 23, 1982, in Spanish Town, Jamaica. 

 Fact #2:

His personal bests: 9.77 and 9.74 seconds between June 2005 and May 2008.

Fact #3:

He is a member of MVP (Maximising Velocity and Power) Track & Field Club based at the University of Technology, Jamaica and has been coached by Stephen Francis since 2001

Fact #4:

He was nominated for the Laureus World Team of the year award, as a member of Jamaican Olympic sprint team in 2009

Fact #5:

His favourite colour is blue. 

Fact #6:

Asafa is very shy and uncomfortable in large crowds. 

Fact #7:

Asafa has a personal best of 9.72 seconds which makes him the fourth-fastest man of all times. 

Fact#8:

He is the youngest of six sons to parents Cislyn and William Powell.  

Fact #9:

He is a past student of Charlemont High School in St. Catherine.   

Fact #10:

 He was awarded the ‘Caribbean And Central American’ (CAC) Male Athlete of the year award in 2005 and 2006

The ceremony

The ceremony scheduled to start at 5 pm was held at the Independence Park, in Jamaica's National Stadium. The sharply dressed Powell was accompanied by wife, Alyshia Miller-Powel, his sons and family members. Also in attendance were the Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, Minister of Sport, Olivia Grange, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Nesta Carter, Chris Gayle, Michael Frater and Elaine Thompson. 

In his remarks, the Prime Minister commended the athlete for bringing attention to our country through his sportsmanship and hopes that the statue will inspire the younger generation to work hard to achieve their goals as Asafa did. Mr Holness also spoke about Asafa’s humility despite the world records he has broken. The prime minister also announced that plans are in motion to create a National Sports Museum at the Independence Park complex. This museum seeks to preserve the history of our athletes and contributions they have made to sports over the years.  He also hopes it will be a tourist hub for sports lovers all across the world. 

Hundreds of people participated in the celebratory service of the well-known athlete. The entertainment segments were short and featured performances by Rondell Positive, the group H.U.M.B.L.E and Agent Sasco. The ceremony is part of the reggae month celebrations happening in February. Head over to their official website, to learn more about Reggae Month and the rest of the events scheduled.