When You ACCIDENTALLY Break A World Record

Before there was Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell set the standard for 100 meter speed.
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[nordmyrie]

This guy run his best races when he is most relaxed.He is an extraordinary talented athlete he just seem to get flustered at times and only if he could keep his nerves under control and relax no one could beat him when he was on top of his game.

[kovar]

thats one thing i found amazing about Bolt and Asafa. In the best record races they did. The opening 60m is faster than the 60m sprint record itself .

[timanderson]

Bolt is still untouchable with 9.58s and 9.63s. However, I can see a case being made that had Powell powered to the finish line, he may have just beaten Tyson Gay's and Yohan Blake's 9.69s for title of second fastest human in history.

[snooples]

"after watching this race a few dozen times..."

i love imagining trp doing the most grimey slow motion pausing rewinding and retiming analysis for just one race to produce an answer more satisfying than just speculation, some classic stuff

[thomism]

Excellent analytics as usual. Powell was unquestionably a vastly talented sprinter. However, what let him down and clearly separated him from Bolt over his career was his consistent inability to perform on the big occasions i.e in the championship events.

[khumokwezimashapa]

Finally. Someone is talking about his 9.74.

[DBRMatrix]

Asafa was never able to remain relaxed if any sprinter was near him at 60 or 70 metres.
If he was running the 200m in competition early in his career on a regular basis he may have developed the confidence to maintain speed under pressure.

[arjunwijayaratnam]

Asafa Powell would always be (for me) THE Jamaican sprinter. He changed the game in Jamaica which opened up the path for all the next gen sprinters (Bolt, Blake, Fraser-Pryce etc...).
He had the perfect body for sprinting, along with an amazing technique and one of the best (if not the best) start ever. For someone his height it's ridiculous how fast he was out of the blocks.
I always thought he could beat Usain Bolt if he had his mental strength and confidence.

[normanfl]

He’s a great athlete, sometimes perform way below is ability.He’s also a text book sprinter.

[michaelmooney]

Powell, Blake, and ⚡ Bolt .Greatest Sprinter Trio ever ..

[khumokwezimashapa]

Guys relax. Powell eased up because it was a heat not a final. I'm not sure how long it was after this, but it was on the same day and he ran 9.78 in the final

[abonepick]

Asafa is the greatest choker in track history. Super fast but my mans could not handle the big stage at all. The complete opposite of bolt.

[stevewise]

Can’t stand when guys significantly slow down, especially that far from the line. Then they never run that fast again. Yes, he hit 9.72 running through the line.

[SrinivashM]

9.68 or 9.69 seems most likely. Powell could have been the first man to run a 9.6x.

[severtone]

This should be his biggest life's regret. Not running through to the end of the line and securing an even more epic spot in T&F history. Long Live Asafa! TY for the good years.

[samsunglg]

I've been saying this for over 10 years since my HS track days. Powell is the true Leading sensation for the 21st Century Jamaican men's golden age before Bolt. Definitely a *9.60s potential*
I tapped almost as fast as Powell getting off the blocks 💥

[JbBarnes]

I always liked his sprinting form, it’s like he was just cruising along… I kinda think the pressure got to him as to why he didn’t run faster times but overall great athelte in my opinion.

[dmorw]

Nothing to sneeze at, but this race was classic Asafa Powell. Running like this is exactly why he came third in the world championship. He tends to stop running over the last 30meters. When you practice that sort of action over and over, your body develops muscle memory and you tend to lose concentration on running all the way through the finish line. Great career. Let’s not behave as if it wasn’t. It’s just a disappointment to see that he finished without living up to an even more illustrious mark.

[dylanmorgan]

I have a controversial opionion on this. If he actively tried to run through faster he would have stiffened up and gotten slower way early.

They always tell you to relax and rely on technique after thevdrive phase and he simply relaxed too hard too early. "Trying harder" would have ruined his race.

[dktherealdeal]

Why on earth did he not push until the finish line? This “what if I had done this” would make me crazy.