Powell calling on fans to be patient
100m world champion Asafa Powell of Jamaica has reached out to his fans, asking them for a little patience after he cut his season short due to injury. The 27-year-old sprinter, who held the world record for the 100m from June 2005 to May 2008, missed out on the Samsung Diamond League meeting due to issues with his hamstring and back.
An upbeat Powell tells critics that he will be ready for next season, and pleads to his fans to give him the time he needs to attain full fitness. “To all my fans who expected a complete season from me, with possibly no losses and a personal record, I am asking for your patience,” Powell stated. “Next year I hope to be back, running at my best. My main aim will be to win World championships, but either way, I am going to do my very best.”
Powell went on to argue that had he been fit, this year’s races with current 100m world-record holder Usain Bolt and Tyson g*y would have been more successful. “Even though I am trying not to consider them as defeats because I wasn't able to push myself the way I wanted to, they are defeats, and the most I can do at this stage is consider what might have been, if a fully fit Asafa had stepped on the track.” Powell later expressed his regret over missing out on racing his rivals again in Stockholm, but reassured fans that he would be back for the highly anticipated Diamond League races next year.
For now, Powell is balancing out his time by working on his house in Kingston, Jamaica, and supporting his fiancé, Yendi, in her contention for the title of Miss World Universe, for which she was awarded the runner-up. Eager to get back into the game, Powell insists that he is healing quickly. “I can say for sure at this point, that my 2010 injuries are much better than when they happened. I am doing the treatments necessary because by next month when our training season starts, I hope to be ready to give 100% of my efforts.”
If Powell returns to full form in time, clashing with Bolt and g*y will be one of the most highly anticipated events of the 2011 athletics season.
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