Asafa Powell

Asafa Powell

Asafa Powell C.D (born November 23, 1982) is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres. He held the 100 m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds respectively. Powell has consistently broken the 10 second barrier in competition and has run under 9.80 s more times than all other sprinters combined. Powell's personal best of 9.72 s is the joint second-fastest time in the history of the event.

Powell competed in the 100 m at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics but failed to convert his success to the world stage, finishing fifth both times. However, he won a gold medal and set the world and Olympic record in the 4 × 100 metres relay with the Jamaican team in Beijing. At the 2007 Osaka World Championships he won a bronze and a silver medal in the 100 m and 4 x 100 m relay respectively and he has been successful at the Commonwealth Games, winning two gold and one silver medal. Powell has won at the IAAF World Athletics Final five times and is the 100 m record holder for the event.

Born on November 23, 1982, in Spanish Town, Jamaica, Asafa Powell is the youngest of six sons of two ministers. Powell planned to be a mechanic before he took up running while studying in Kingston, Jamaica. His elder brother Donovan, was a 100 m semi-finalist in the 1999 World Championships. Powell is a member of the MVP (Maximising Velocity and Power) Track & Field Club based at the University of Technology (U-Tech), Kingston, and has been coached by Stephen Francis since 2001.

Powell represented his school Charlemont High at the ISSA High School Championships. On April 11 he finished fourth in the Class 1 200 m, in 23.07 with a -1.7 m/s headwind. On April 13, he finished third in his heat of the Boy's Class 1 100 m, recording 11.45 with a -2.3 m/s headwind. Neither time recorded in the heats was quick enough to advance him to the next round of competition.

Powell again represented Charlemont High at the ISSA High School Championships, finishing seventh in the Class 1 100 m Final. Recognizing some talent, coach Stephen Francis started coaching Powell one week later. Powell vindicated Francis by winning the Boys Under-20 100 m event in 10.50 seconds at the JAAA National Championships on June 22.

At the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester Powell finished fifth in the semi-finals of the 100 m event, setting a personal best of 10.26 s. Powell, along with Michael Frater, Dwight Thomas and Christopher Williams formed the Jamaican 4×100 m relay team that went on to win a silver medal. Powell finished just behind Darren Campbell in the last leg of the relay, with both men finishing in 38.62 s.

Powell came to attention within the world of athletics at the 2003 World Championships, when he suffered the ignominy of being 'the other athlete' disqualified for a false start in the quarter-final. This was when Jon Drummond memorably refused to leave the track having suffered the same fate, both athletes moved less than 0.1 s after the gun had fired, with Powell's reactions being timed at 0.086 s. Six days later Powell was added to the 4×100 m relay team for the semi-final, running as the anchor. He helped the team qualify for the final, recording the second fastest time. Powell never had a chance to run for a medal in the final as the second baton exchange was not executed cleanly and the Jamaican team failed to finish. During the 2003 season, Powell won two IAAF Grand Prix events, one of which was an AF Golden League event.

On June 12 Powell recorded his first sub-10 100 m race time (9.99 s +1.8 m/s) while participating in the National Junior Track and Field Championships, held at the GC Foster College in Spanish Town. Two weeks later Powell became one of the favorites for a medal in the 100 m at the 2004 Athens Olympics after winning the Jamaican National Championships with a personal best time of 9.91 s. Although he ended the season with a record-equaling nine sub-10 second runs, Powell finished just fifth in the highly competitive Olympic final, with a time of 9.94 s. Following this he pulled out of the 200 m final, even though he had already qualified eighth for it earlier on. Powell did not get the chance to run for a medal in the 4x100 m relay, as the Jamaican team failed to qualify for the final, with a season best 38.71 fourth place finish in their heat. He recorded five IAAF Grand Prix wins in 2004. In addition, he won the 100 m and 200 m races at the World Athletics Final, setting championship records in both, and is the only man to win both races at the same World Athletics Final to date.

In 2005 Powell again won the 100 m Final at the Jamaican National Championships. He gained some consolation for his Olympic performance by breaking the 100 m world record in Athens on June 14, 2005, setting a time of 9.77 s, beating American Tim Montgomery's 2002 record of 9.78 s (which was later annulled due to doping charges against Montgomery) by just 0.01 s. Coincidentally, Powell achieved the feat on the same track as Maurice Greene's 1999 world record run of 9.79 s. Wind assistance for Powell was measured at 1.6 m/s, within the IAAF legal limit of 2.0 m/s. A groin injury in July cut short his season, which ended with just two IAAF Grand Prix event wins. Despite his shortened season, Powell had the three fastest 100 m times of the year and received the Caribbean And Central American (CAC) Male Athlete of the Year award.

2006 was Powell's most successful season. In addition to winning the 200 m at the Jamaican National Championships, he won ten 100 m IAAF Grand Prix events, including all six Golden League events. Powell won the 2006 Commonwealth Games 100 metres race after a drama-filled semi-final which saw two disqualifications and three false starts. Powell himself ran into another competitor's lane while looking at the scoreboard, however he was held not to have impeded the runner. He also anchored the 4×100 m relay team, and finished the Commonwealth Games with two gold medals.

Powell then equaled his world record time on June 11, 2006, at Gateshead International Stadium, with wind assistance measured at +1.5 m/s. The exact time was 9.7629 which was rounded up to 9.77 as per IAAF rules. On August 18, 2006, in Zürich, Powell equaled it again for the second time, with wind assistance at +1.0 m/s. He won his sixth IAAF Golden League event (in the 100 m) the same season, thus earning him a total of $250,000 in prize money. Powell also won the 100 m at the World Athletics Final, again setting a new championship record. In October Powell again received the Caribbean And Central American (CAC) Male Athlete of the Year award. On November 12, 2006, he was awarded the title of 2006 Male IAAF World Athlete of the Year along with a cheque for $100,000. He also received the honour of Track & Field Athlete of the Year for 2006.

On January 5, 2007, Powell received the Commonwealth Games Sports Foundation Athlete of the Year award. On February 3 he was honored at the International Sports Group (ISG) Awards Banquet, held in New York. Powell was again the Jamaican National Champion for the 100 m in 2007. However, he only managed to finish third in the 100 m final at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, behind Tyson Gay, who was considered Powell's biggest rival building up to the Championships. Derrick Atkins, Powell's second cousin, came second in 9.91 s. Powell himself finished in a time of 9.96 s (running in a 0.5 m/s headwind) after being passed by Gay and Atkins in the late stages of the race. Later he admitted that after seeing Gay pass him, he panicked and gave up, allowing Atkins to also overtake.

When Tyson came on and gave me a little bit of pressure I just panicked. When I saw I wasn't in gold medal contention, I gave up in the middle of the race. I just stopped running.

However Powell did help to win the silver medal in the 4×100 m relay race. Running the anchor leg for the Jamaican team, he came from fifth and passed Great Britain at the line to help record a Jamaican national record of 37.89 s. The United States meanwhile, took gold.

On September 9, 2007, in the opening heats of the IAAF Grand Prix in Rieti, Italy, Powell ran a new world record time of 9.74 s (+1.7 m/s) in the 100 m, thus fulfilling the promise he had made earlier after his bronze medal in Osaka, that he would break the record by the end of the year. This was intended to make up for the disappointment of not becoming World Champion. Remarkably, Powell eased up in the final few meters of his record-setting run, indicating that he was saving his strength for the final. In the final itself, Powell finished in 9.78 s (0 m/s windspeed) and bettered his semi-final time, when adjusted for wind assistance. Powell finished 2007 with a total of five IAAF Grand Prix event wins, plus his second consecutive World Athletic Final 100 m win, with yet another championship record. Unfortunately, Powell ended his season on September 30 with a left hamstring injury, which came about while running in the lead of the 200 m race at the Super Track & Field meet in Yokohama, Japan. For the third consecutive year Powell won the Caribbean And Central American (CAC) Male Athlete of the Year award. Powell closed the year receiving the IAAF Performance of the Year award, for his 9.74 s world record.

On January 29, 2008, Powell received the RJR Sports Foundation's 2007 Sportsman of the Year award. Powell's 2008 season started much as his 2007 season ended: with another injury. Powell was forced to pull out of the Sydney Grand Prix meeting, having suffered a gash to his left knee that required four stitches. The injury was a result of tripping on the steps of his home, hours before getting on the flight to Sydney on February 12.

Powell was again injured in April, this time with damage to his pectoral muscles. The injury forced Powell out of competition for two months, and was sustained while weight training in Jamaica during mid-April. Surgery was required, and a visible scar was left on his right underarm.

On May 31, fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt ran a time of 9.72 s at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York City, breaking Powell's three-year dominance of the 100 m world record.

On July 11, Powell suffered his third injury of 2008 while leading in Heat 1 of the Golden Gala Roma. He had injured his groin (described as a "strain" and a "cramp"), and was forced to miss the next two events on the Grand Prix schedule. Powell made his comeback at the DN Galan meet, where he beat the new World Record holder Bolt, in a close race. The meet's top performers were a Jamaican 1-2-3-4 with Nesta Carter and Michael Frater following the pair. This top four would later combine to run the 4×100m relay at the Olympics.

Prior to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Powell hit back at the claims saying he lacked the mental strength needed to win an Olympic gold medal.

It doesn't scare me. The guys that I'm running against in Beijing are the same ones I run against all year, it's no different at the Olympics - it's just a name, and you should put that aside until you cross the line. If all you guys look back and check from before, you'll see that Athens was my first Olympics, I ran my personal best in the final - so I'm not sure why people say I don't run my best in finals. The World Championships was the only final where I didn't do as expected. I made a once-in-a-lifetime mistake and it won't happen again. I'm running against myself - I'm the only one who can defeat myself and I don't intend to.

Despite his words, the 100 m final saw Powell again finish in a disappointing fifth, recording a time of 9.95 s. Teammates Bolt and Michael Frater also raced in the final. Bolt won and broke his own world record (finishing in 9.69 s) and Frater came sixth, recording his first sub-10 clocking at 9.97 s.

Seven days later, Powell finally got his first Olympic gold as he anchored the Jamaican 4×100 m relay team to victory, helping establish a new world record in the process. His split time was recorded at 8.70 s (USATF High Performance Registered Split Analysis), bettering his previous record of 8.84 s set in Osaka, 2007. This is the fastest electronically timed anchor run in history, as Bob Hayes was hand timed as running between 8.6–8.9 seconds in the 1964 Olympics.

Two years ago I said to myself I could go 9.65 or faster but based on how Usain is running it's my aim now to go below 9.6. Usain can obviously run very fast but I'm not going to put him out of my reach. I'd say in the Olympic 100 m it looked like Usain could have run 9.63, 9.65 maybe. I was shocked to see what he did in the race, it was ridiculous. I can't imagine the times he's capable of running at the moment. He's the man to beat right now but before it was me and if I can break another world record then I'll be the one back in the spotlight.

The 2012 London Games will be my last opportunity and Beijing was certainly my best chance but you never give up. I've got no idea why I'm always winning on the circuit but then finishing fifth at the Olympics. Maybe if it was just a one-off race without the qualifying rounds I would have done better. Who knows? Maybe I'm not the guy for those big championships but just the guy to compete in the Grand Prix and Golden League meetings. It's just unfortunate.

Following his fifth place finish in Beijing on August 16, Powell recorded seven consecutive 100 m races under 9.90 s, including two races under 9.80 s. In addition, 2008 was Powell's second-best season on the Grand Prix circuit, claiming seven victories, plus his third consecutive win (and fourth overall) in the 100 m at the World Athletics Final.

On his return to Jamaica, Powell was honoured in a homecoming celebration and received an Order of Distinction in recognition of his achievements at the Olympics.

Powell opened his season on January 31 at the Grace Jackson Invitational, held at Stadium East, Kingston, Jamaica. He ran the 400 metres, winning his heat in 47.75 s, placing him second overall in the four heat time-final.

Powell ran the anchor leg for two relay teams at the Milo Western Relays held at the GC Foster College on February 14. In his first race, his MVP team recorded a new meet record and world leading time of 38.72 s for the 4×100 m relay. Later he was timed at 46.27 for his leg of the 4×400 metres relay, again winning the race for his MVP team.

Powell next competed in the Sydney Track Classic in Australia on February 28, again running the anchor leg in the 4x100 m relay and winning the event in a new world leading time of 38.62 s. Two hours later he ran a 400 m race, finishing fourth in a new personal best 45.94 s, shaving 1.23 seconds off his previous best time.

My coach said cruise for the first 200 m and bring it home. This tells me I'm a lot stronger this year and it will be a different ball game. I'm just motivated, the 400 m didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. I'm OK. I don't need the ambulance.

Five days later Powell ran his first 100 m race of the season. Competing at the Melbourne Track Classic he ran a world leading 10.23 s, wind measuring -1.4 m/s on the coldest day of the year to date.

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Tyson Gay

Tyson Gay (born August 9, 1982) is an American track and field sprinter. His primary events are the 100 meters and 200 meters. His personal bests establish him as third fastest athlete in the history of the 100 and 200 meter races, with times of 9.77 (the American record) and 19.62 seconds respectively.

Gay has won numerous medals in major international competitions, highlighted by his gold medal sweep of the 100 m, 200 m and 4 x 100 meters relay at the 2007 Osaka World Championships. This made Gay the second sprinter to win all three events at the same World Championships, after Maurice Greene. At the 2008 Olympic Trials Gay established the American record in the 100 m with a time of 9.77 s, and also ran the fastest time ever recorded in the 100 m (9.68 s) which was aided by a non-legal wind of 4.1 meters per second (the allowable for official IAAF record purposes being 2.0 m/s).

At the same meet, Gay suffered a severe hamstring injury in the 200 m event. The injury persisted and this contributed to his failure to win a single medal at the Beijing Olympics. As a participant in the US Anti-Doping Agency's "Project Believe" program, Gay is regularly tested to ensure that his system is clean of performance-enhancing drugs.

Born on August 9, 1982 in Lexington, Kentucky, Tyson Gay is the only son of Daisy Gay and Greg Mitchell. Athletic prowess was part of family life; Gay's grandmother ran for Eastern Kentucky University and his mother Daisy also competed in her youth, though she was pregnant with her first child by her early teens. Gay's older sister, Tiffany, was a keen sprinter and had a successful high school career. Tiffany and Tyson Gay, encouraged by their mother, raced at every opportunity, training hard at school and on the hills in their neighborhood. There was strong competition between the two, and Gay later said that his sister's quick reaction time inspired him to improve.

Although Gay tended to be a slow starter on the track, he worked hard to improve and broke the Lafayette High School stadium record for the 200 meters. Under the tutelage of Ken Northington, a former 100 yard dash state champion, Gay began working on his technique and rhythm. By his senior year he was a more composed athlete and he focused on the 100 meters, winning the state championship in the event and setting a new championship record of 10.60 s. In spite of this, his mother noted that he was not fully applying himself and was taking his abilities for granted. Gay was also not a studious child and he failed to achieve the grades needed to enter a Division I sports college. However, the Kentucky High School State Championships in June 2001 demonstrated his abilities: he won gold in the 100 m, setting a new personal best and state record with 10.46 s (a record which stands to this day). In the 200 m he took silver with another new personal best of 21.23 s. At a 2001 track event, Gay met trainer Lance Brauman and the college coach convinced him to attend Barton County Community College. It was here that Gay first met Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown, and the two formed a close bond, becoming training partners.

The move to the college in Great Bend, Kansas, marked further progression for Gay: in 2002 his 100 m and 200 m times climbed higher to 10.08 s and 20.21 s respectively, albeit with wind assistance. He improved upon his legal personal bests too, recording a 100 m run of 10.27 s and 20.88 s in the 200 m. He also continued to outstrip the competition, winning the 100 m at the junior-college (JUCO) meeting. Returning to the JUCO event the following year, with the wind in his favour, Gay took bronze in the 100 m with 10.01 s and silver in the 200 m with 20.31 s. Injuries upset the rest of 2003 for Gay, and his coach Brauman moved on to work as the sprint coach at the University of Arkansas. Gay decided to follow his tutor and he was keen to join the university's highly successful amateur track and field program; Arkansas had dominated National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor and Outdoor competitions for the previous ten years.

Gay chose to study sociology and marketing, and the university environment gave the 22-year-old sprinter his first opportunity to compete in NCAA events. In the NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship in March, Gay finished fourth in the 60 meters, with 6.63 s, and fifth in the closely fought 200 m with a time of 20.58 s (he missed out on second place by only two hundredths of a second). The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship in June proved far more fruitful, however, as Gay became Arkansas' first 100 m NCAA champion, setting a school record of 10.06 s. Furthermore, his efforts in the event helped the Arkansas athletic team win the NCAA Championship.

The results of Gay's first 2004 Olympic Trials confirmed his status as a rising contender in the 100 m and 200 m events. Although he did not reach the final of either event, he reached the semis of the highly competitive 100 m and posted a 200 m personal best of 20.07 s in the qualifying stages. A hamstring injury due to dehydration prevented Gay from competing in the 200 m final, but he did not see the trials as a missed opportunity, rather a springboard for future events: "I was really focused upon the team, had a great shot, but it was a learning experience—how to take care of my body." The end of year Track and Field News rankings for United States sprinters showed him to be the eighth fastest 100 m runner and the fourth fastest sprinter over 200 m that year—indicative of his potential, he was younger than all those ranked ahead of him.

In Gay's final year as an amateur athlete he started well, setting a personal best and school record of 6.55 s in the 60 m at the 2005 Championship Series. He helped the University team to another NCAA outdoor victory, setting a new personal best of 19.93 s in the 200 m qualifiers and placing third in the finals. Training partner and friend Wallace Spearmon took first place with 19.91 s—his time and Gay's 19.93 s were the second and third-fastest 200 m times in the world that year. The pair teamed up for the 4 x 100 m relay, along with Michael Grant and Omar Brown, and won with an Arkansas-record-breaking time of 38.49 s. With the NCAA Championships behind him, in June 2005 Gay decided to become a professional athlete, setting his sights on a place in the US 200 m team for the Helsinki World Championships.

Upon turning professional, Gay entered the USA Outdoor Championships, where he took silver in the 200 m with 20.06 s. He was selected for the 200 m at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki and finished fourth, beaten by three of his compatriots (Justin Gatlin, Spearmon and John Capel). This completed the unprecedented feat of a single nation taking the top four positions at the championship event. Gay formed part of the 4 x 100 m relay team but a poor baton exchange between Mardy Scales and Leonard Scott resulted in disqualification. Later in the month, Gay briefly turned his attentions to the 100 m and scored a season's best of 10.08 s at the Rieti Grand Prix.

He ended the 2005 season on a positive note by winning the gold medal in the 200 m at the World Athletics Final, his first major championship title. His time of 19.96 s was his second fastest that year and fourth fastest of any sprinter that season. Although he stated that the quality of the competition and memories of Helsinki had made him nervous beforehand, he went on to beat all three American sprinters he had lost to in the World Championships, becoming the first athlete to beat Gatlin over 200 m that season. It was not only his rival sprinters that would cause future difficulties, however, as Gay's coach Brauman was indicted for various crimes relating to his time at Barton College and Arkansas University. He had helped athletes gain funds and credits that they were not entitled to. Following Gay's testimony, the courts ruled that Brauman was guilty and, as a result, Arkansas' two NCAA titles and all of Gay's college track times were annulled. None of the athletes were charged with any wrongdoing. Although he was imprisoned for 10 months, Brauman continued to train Gay, periodically updating him with coaching routines and techniques.

The 2006 athletics season saw Gay rise to the top of the rankings for the first time and become a legitimate contender in the 100 m. He became the 2006 US Outdoor Champion in unfortunate circumstances: Gay originally finished second in 10.07 s with a strong headwind, but winner Gatlin was later disqualified for steroid abuse. Gay significantly improved upon his previous 200 m personal best by over two-tenths of a second at the IAAF Grand Prix in Lausanne. However, his time of 19.70 s was not enough to beat newcomer Xavier Carter who ran the second fastest time ever with 19.63 s. Improvements in the 100 m followed, as he won the Rethymno track meet and set another personal best with 9.88 s. Gay scored another sub-10 second 100 m at the Stockholm Grand Prix, finishing second to Asafa Powell with a 9.97 s, and beating Michael Johnson's British all-comers 200 m record with a 19.84 s win in London. Gay continued to improve at the 100 m, revising his personal best to 9.84 s at the Zürich Golden League meet, but it was not enough to beat Powell, who equaled his own world record of 9.77 s.

With Brauman still serving his sentence, Gay began working with a new coach – Olympic gold medalist Jon Drummond. Drummond was renowned for being quick off the mark, and Gay hoped that he could help improve his starting times. Gay aimed to challenge World Record holder Powell's dominance of the 100 m event, stating: "I want this to be a rivalry. I want to step up to the plate". His performances backed up his remarks, as he started the 2007 outdoor season with two wind-assisted runs of 9.79 s and 9.76 s. The latter time was recorded with a wind only 0.2 m/s over the allowed limit, and was superior to Powell's record of 9.77 s.

At the US National Championships he equaled his 100 m best of 9.84 s while running into the wind. This was a meeting record and the second fastest 100 m time with a headwind after Maurice Greene's 9.82 s run. He followed this with a new 200 m personal best in the finals, again facing an impeding wind. His time of 19.62 s was the second fastest ever; only Johnson's 19.32 s run at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was faster. Gay was happy with the achievement but noted that the competition was still strong: "I wasn't thinking about any time. I was trying to get away from Spearmon as fast as I could.". After noting that he was feeling worn out, Gay had a brief recuperation period in preparation for the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan. He returned to the track in Europe and, while weather conditions were poor, he won the 200 m in Lausanne with 19.78 s and had wins at 100 m events in Sheffield and London. He relished the opportunity to face Powell at the World Championships: both sprinters were undefeated that year and Gay said that he felt ready for the challenge.

Gay doubled his gold medal count in the 200 m event. He ran a new championship record time of 19.76 s to win a second gold medal, beating Usain Bolt and Spearmon to the post. Bolt was clear to point out that he lost to the better athlete: "I got beaten by the No. 1 man in the world. For the moment, he is unbeatable.". Only Maurice Greene and Gatlin had won the sprint double at the Championships before, but Gay eyed a third gold in the 4 x 100 meters relay. The Americans faced stiff competition from the Jamaican team, which included Powell and Bolt. The Jamaicans set a national record, but it was not enough to beat the United States team, who finished in a world-leading time of 37.78 s. Gay won his third gold medal alongside Darvis Patton, Spearmon and Leroy Dixon. The triple-gold haul repeated the feat achieved by Maurice Greene at the 1999 Seville World Championships and Carl Lewis in 1983 and 1987.

Although Gay had been bullish in victory on the track, the achievement did not change him—he remained humble and appreciative to his rivals. In November he was chosen as the IAAF Male World Athlete of the Year for 2007 and in his acceptance speech he paid tribute to his peers, encouraging Powell to remain focused and saying that he highly regarded the Jamaican. He also dismissed comparisons to his forebears, commenting: "I honestly believe that I need to have the World record like some of the other great sprinters like Carl Lewis, Maurice Greene. I think that sets you apart, having medals and having the World record." At the end of the season Gay was elected 2007 Men's Athlete of the Year by Track and Field News (topping the year's list as the fastest 100 m and 200 m sprinter), and he won the USATF's Harrison Dillard award as the top US male sprinter.

Following Brauman's release from prison, Gay set out preparing for the Beijing Olympics, training with both Brauman and Jon Drummond in the off-season. Returning to competition in May, he continued as he had left off in 2007: winning the 200 m in Kingston, taking gold in both sprints at the Adidas Track Classic, and finishing second in the 100 m at the Reebok Grand Prix with a 9.85 s run. However, Gay now faced a new, emerging challenger in Usain Bolt; at the latter event Bolt had beaten Gay with a world-record-setting 9.72 s. Taking this into consideration, he realized that a world record time would be needed to beat both Bolt and Powell at the Olympics; Gay aimed to run below 9.70 s. With athletes running such quick times, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) sought to counter claims of performance-enhancing drugs use through "Project Believe", a regular, extensive drugs testing program. The BALCO scandal and the banning of high profile athletes, including Gatlin and Marion Jones, had damaged the public's perception of sprinting and the USADA recruited Gay to prove clean athletes could be just as successful.

The favorite for qualification in both the 100 m and 200 m at the US Olympic Trials, Gay put in a strong performance in the heats. After a misjudgement in the first round almost caused him to miss out on qualification, Gay resolved to step up his pace, and he won the 100 m quarter-final with an American record-setting run of 9.77 s. Breaking Maurice Greene's nine-year-old record, this made Gay the third fastest 100 m sprinter ever, after rivals Bolt and Powell. In the final the following day, Gay finished first in a wind-aided 9.68 s (+4.1 m/s). This is the fastest ever 100 m time under any conditions, bettering the 9.69 s record which Obadele Thompson had set 12 years earlier. The 200 m event was a significant set back for Gay as he suffered a hamstring injury in the qualifiers and was subsequently ruled out of the event for the Olympics. The injury persisted for several weeks and he dropped out of track meetings in order to recover in time for the Olympics.

Gay made his track return in Beijing but his injury had reduced his 100 m medal chances and Bolt and Powell were more favored to win the event. The much anticipated Gay, Bolt and Powell final never materialised, however, as Gay failed to qualify in the semi-finals. Finishing fifth after recording 10.05 s, Gay denied that he was still injured, but claimed the hamstring problem had upset his training schedule.

Gay rounded off the season in Europe, winning in the 200 m at Gateshead, but he had to withdraw from a ÅF Golden League race against Bolt and Powell due to his hamstring injury.

Gay has a daughter with Shoshana Boyd, Trinity, who was born around 2001, and enjoys taking care of both his own daughter and his niece Destin. While Brauman was in prison for fraud, Gay looked after the coach's wife and daughter. His mother Daisy married Tim Lowe in 1995, adding two half-siblings, Seth and Haleigh Lowe, to Gay's family.

Gay attended the St. John Missionary Baptist Church as a child, and when he returns home he still attends the church services. His beliefs matter to him both on and off the track: "I'm a religious man, so I really believe in my God-given ability, that I can do the unexpected. I really do believe I can break a record, or come close to it, or win a medal." He is frequently described as a modest and respectful athlete, standing in direct contrast with previous world-class US sprinters.

Gay has sponsorship deals with Adidas, Omega SA, Alltel, McDonald's and Sega.

Gay holds the American record in the 100 m with 9.77 s, making him the third fastest sprinter in the history of the event after Jamaicans Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell. His 19.62 s makes him history's third fastest 200 m runner, behind Usain Bolt and fellow American Michael Johnson. In 2006 Gay was a member of the sixth-fastest 4 x 100 m relay team in history, running a 37.59 s with teammates Kaaron Conwright, Wallace Spearmon and Jason Smoots to set the IAAF World Cup championship record in Athens. His sprint combination of 100 m and 200 m in 9.84 s and 19.62 s, run over two days in 2007, was the best ever combo at that time. His current best combo of 9.77 s/19.62 s is second only to Bolt's 9.69 s/19.30 s.

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Michael Frater

Michael Frater O.D (born October 6, 1982 in Manchester, Jamaica) is a sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres event. He won a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships and a gold medal at the 2003 Pan American Games for the event.

He has also been successful as part of the Jamaican 4 × 100 metres relay team, setting the world record and Olympic record at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also won gold in the relay at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and took silver in the 2002 edition. His 100 m personal best of 9.97 seconds makes him the fourth fastest Jamaican sprinter in the event, after Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Ray Stewart.

Born on October 6, 1982, in Manchester, Jamaica, Michael Frater is the younger of two sons of Lyndell and Monica Frater. His elder brother Lindel, was a sprinter who represented Jamaica at the 2000 Olympic Games. Frater stated that his brother was a major influence on his decision to become a track athlete.

Frater attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a member of the MVP (Maximising Velocity and Power) Track & Field Club based at the University of Technology (U-Tech), Kingston, and is coached by Stephen Francis.

Representing Wolmer's Boys School, Frater set two records at the Inter-Secondary School Sports Association National Boys & Girls Athletic Championship held at the National Stadium, Kingston. On March 22, he won the Class 3 100 metres in 11.10 and the Class 3 200 metres in 22.73.

Frater won gold at the CARIFTA Games, winning the Under-17 100 m in 11.07.

Frater won a bronze medal at the CARIFTA Games. Competing in the Under-17 100 m he recorded 10.85 into a -0.7 m/s headwind. He also won a silver medal in the 4x100 m relay event.

On July 9 Frater won a silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the Pan American Junior Championships. He ran the second leg for Jamaica, who finished in 40.27 behind the United States team.

Eight days later Frater won a gold medal at the World Youth Championships. He ran the second leg on the 4 × 100 m relay, the team's winning time 40.03 setting a new World Youth (under 18) record.

Frater finished second in the 100 m with 10.50 at the Jamaica National Junior Championships on June 30.

Running for Boyd Anderson High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he won the Florida state championship in the 100 m, and was selected as the Gatorade Outstanding High School Track Athlete for the state.

In October, Frater finished fifth in the 100 m at the IAAF World Junior Championships in a personal best 10.46 and again fifth when running the first leg of the 4 × 100 m relay in 40.07.

Frater won the 100 m at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships in 10.07. Although wind aided +2.1 m/s the time is credited as a meet record, with the "(w-a)" notation for wind assistance. He also won the 200 m at the same event, in 20.45 Again wind assisted (+3.0 m/s), the time is credited as a meet record, with the "(w-a)" notation for wind assistance. Frater collected his third win of the meet when TCU won the 4x100 m relay in 39.17, setting another meet record.

On June 1 Frater finished fourth in the 100 m at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, running 10.40 in a -2.7 headwind.

In July at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester Frater finished seventh in semi-final 1 of the 100 m event. He then ran the first leg of the Jamaican 4×100 m relay team that won a silver medal, the Jamaican team finishing with the same time as England, in 38.62 s.

In February Frater ran 6.66 at the Conference USA Indoor Championships, bettering the previous meet record while finishing second in the 60 m. He also finished second in the 200 m.

Frater finished third in the 100 m at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, earning all-American honors.

In early August at the Pan American Games, Frater finished second in the 100 m in 10.21 He ran the first leg of the 4 × 100 m relay; the Jamaican team finished fourth recording 39.08. Frater was awarded the gold medal for the 100 m and the bronze for the 4 × 100 m relay a week later when American Mickey Grimes tested positive for the stimulant ephedrine, resulting in the disqualification of Grimes and the US relay team.

Three weeks later at the World Championships in Paris, Frater was eliminated, running in the the quarter finals of the 100 m heat immediately following Jon Drummond's on-track protest for disqualification, finishing sixth posting 10.25. He helped the 4 × 100 m relay team qualify second quickest for the final, running the third leg in the semi-final. In the final the baton exchange was not executed cleanly between Dwight Thomas and Frater, resulting in a DNF for the team.

In May Frater won the 100 m at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships in 10.20. TCU won the 4x100 m relay, giving Frater his second win of the meet.

On June 12 Frater finished second in 10.059 to Tyson Gay 10.051 at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the University of Texas. As a member of the TCU relay team he finished fourth in the 4x100 m event.

Frater was knocked out in the first semi-final of the 100 m sprint at the 2004 Athens Olympics, finishing sixth in 10.29 into a -1.6 m/s headwind. He ran the anchor leg on the 4x100 m relay in the heats, but did not get the chance to run for a medal as the Jamaican team failed to qualify for the final, with a season best 38.71 fourth place finish in their heat.

On July 16 Frater won the Meeting de Madrid IAAF Grand Prix event, recording 10.22 into a -0.7 m/s headwind.

In the 2005 World Championships, he won the silver medal in the 100 m with 10.05, finishing second to American Justin Gatlin, who was subsequently banned from competition in 2006 for four years after testing positive for testosterone or its precursor. The Jamaican 4 × 100 m relay team, anchored by Frater, failed to gain a medal in the final, finishing fourth by .001 to the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team.

Although he qualified for the 100 m at the 2005 World Athletics Final in Monaco, Frater did not start the race.

Frater was disqualified in the semi-finals of the 100 m sprint because of a false start at the Commonwealth Games in March. Patrick Johnson was charged with the first false start, which put the entire field under caution. Frater was removed from the field after the second false start, although he had a slower reaction, officially 0.146, to the gun than Jacey Harper in Lane 7. After a third false start Mark Lewis-Francis was also disqualified from the semi-final. Frater ran the first leg of the 4 × 100 m relay, earning a gold medal with Jamaica's winning time of 38.36.

In June, Frater won the 100 m in 10.18 at the JAAA National Championships, succeeding Asafa Powell as Jamaica National Champion.

On a day highlighted by Veronica Campbell-Brown's emphatic victory in the female 100 m in a world-leading time of 10.89, Frater failed to qualify for the Osaka World Championships when he clocked a less than impressive 10.46. His only chance was left up to the final semi-final of the day but the exploits of talented schoolboy Yohan Blake (10.19) pushed Nesta Carter to run a blistering 10.17 thus making the third heat the fastest heat of the day. This meant that the World Championships silver medallist was out of the finals and as a result did not make the Jamaican team to Osaka.

On June 28, 2008, Michael Frater finished third in the Jamaica National Championships (behind Usain Bolt 9.85, Asafa Powell 9.97) in 10.04, all three runners easing off before the finish line, and qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

He finished sixth in the Olympic 100 m final setting a personal best of 9.97 seconds.

Frater won a gold medal in Beijing, running the second leg of the Men's 4x100 m relay. The relay team of Carter, Frater, Bolt and Powell set a new world record of 37.10, with Frater recording a split time of 9.01 seconds for his leg. (USATF High Performance Registered Split Analysis).

One week later Frater won the 100 m at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix on September 20, the first official event of the IAAF 2009 Grand Prix series.

Frater was honoured in a homecoming celebration in Jamaica and received an Order of Distinction in recognition of his achievements at the Olympics.

Frater ran the second leg for his MVP 4 × 100 m relay team at the Milo Western Relays held at the GC Foster College on February 14. The team recorded a new meet record and world leading time of 38.72 s for the relay event.

On March 7, Frater was inducted into the Boyd Anderson Ring of Honor.

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Darren Campbell

Darren Andrew Campbell MBE (born 12 September 1973 in Moss Side, Manchester) is a former English sprint athlete. He competed in the 100 metres and 200 metres, as well as the 4 × 100 metres relay. Campbell is the European record holder in the relay event with 37.73 seconds.

Campbell was a promising junior athlete and won a number of medals at the World and European Junior Championships. He spent two years away from athletics, playing professional football but returned in 1995, attending his first Olympics shortly afterwards. He began to compete as part of the British 4 × 100 m relay team and between 1997–2000 he won two World Championship medals, a gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, and set the European record in the event. Success also came in the individual events: he became the 1998 European Champion in the 100 m and won his first Olympic medal, a silver in the 200 m at the 2000 Sydney Games. In the 100 m he won silver at the 2002 European Championships and was the 2003 World Championships bronze medallist.

Campbell formed part of perhaps Britain's most successful relay team – they won in the European Cup in 1999 and 2000, at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and took the gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics (the first time a British team had done so since 1912). Campbell had also won a gold medal at the 2002 European Championships and a 2003 World Championship silver medal but had to return them when his running-mate, Dwain Chambers, tested positive for banned substances, sparking much animosity between the two. He won his last medal in 2006, again taking the relay gold at the European Championships, and he retired shortly afterwards. His personal bests of 10.04 s in the 100 m and 20.13 s in the 200 m—place him among the top six fastest British sprinters.

He now works with various Premier League football clubs, working with the players to improve their sprinting ability. He also regularly visits schools to promote sport among children, on behalf of the Youth Sport Trust.

Campbell was both a talented athlete and footballer during his youth. His first national success in athletics was a gold medal at the English Schools Championships in the 200 m. Campbell then won the 100 m and 200 m gold medals at the 1991 European Junior Championships held in Thessaloniki, Greece, as well as a gold medal in the 4 x 100 m. A year later, he won silver medals at the 1992 World Junior Championships, in the sprint double, and a gold medal in the 4 x 100 m relay. He was beaten both times by Ato Boldon, who became the first athlete to win a double at the championships.

His senior international debut came at the Stuttgart World Championships in 1993, as part of the 4 x 100 m squad. However, as a result of injuries, he left athletics at the age of 21 to play football for Cwmbran Town, Plymouth Argyle F.C., Cinderford Town F.C., Weymouth F.C., UWIC Inter Cardiff F.C., and Newport County A.F.C. amongst others. During a debate on TalkSPORT on 14 August 2006, Campbell stated this period away from athletics had also been spurred on by attempts by certain individuals to draw him in to a drugs programme.

Following two seasons playing football for Weymouth and Newport County, Campbell returned to athletics in 1995, and ran the 100 m in 10.34s that year. The following year, he improved his 100 m time to 10.17s, and represented Britain in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Campbell only represented Britain in the 4 x 100 m relay, but did not receive the baton, as it was dropped before it reached him.

At the 1997 World Championships, Campbell won his first major senior medal - a bronze in the 4 x 100 m relay, and by this time was a regular feature in the British squad.

Campbell's first senior gold medals came at the 1998 European Championships in Budapest. Campbell won the 100 m individual event, setting his best time at the 100 m in the final - 10.13s, and also winning gold in the 4 x 100 m relay. At the Commonwealth Games that year, Campbell was in the winning team for the 4 x 100 m relay, however, won no individual medals.

The following year, in the 1999 World Championships, held in Seville, Campbell won the silver medal in the 4 x 100 m relay, but was eliminated from his individual event in the semi-finals.

In 2000, Campbell won the man of the match award in the European Cup following his performance in the 100 m. Campbell replaced Jason Gardener with 20 minutes notice, and won the race in a time of 10.09s (wind-assisted). He also ran in a leg in the winning 4 x 100 m relay team.

Campbell was again hit by injury in 2001, missing the majority of the year's competitions. He had run 10.16s for the 100 m and 20.41s for the 200 m, and been named European Cup captain prior to the injury.

After returning from injury the following year, Campbell took bronze in the individual 100 m event and gold in the 4 x 100 m relay at the 2002 European Championships. His bronze was later upgraded to a silver after Dwain Chambers confessed to taking performance-enchancing drugs at this time. However, the relay gold was later taken from him, as Chambers was part of the quartet. He won his quarter-final in the 200 m, but was eliminated after being disqualified for stepping outside his lane.

The year also saw Campbell compete in his home town of Manchester in the Commonwealth Games. He did repeat his Olympic success in the 200 m, receiving bronze in this event. However, he anchored the team to gold in the 4 x 100 m relay along with squad members Jason Gardener, Marlon Devonish and Allyn Condon, just beating Asafa Powell of Jamaica in a very tight photo finish.

In 2003, at the Paris World Championships, Campbell took bronze in the 100 m, but missed on a medal in the 200 m, finishing fourth in the final. He also ran the 2nd leg for the 4 x 100 m relay team, but later lost this medal due to Dwain Chambers being found guilty of doping. Campbell also set his 60 m PB of 6.59s this year.

In the 2004 Summer Olympics, Campbell won a surprise gold medal in the 4 x 100 m, in a team with Jason Gardener, Marlon Devonish and Mark Lewis-Francis, who defeated the United States team by just 0.01s, winning in a season's best of 38.07s. However, Campbell performed less well in the 100 m and 200 m, exiting in the heat and semi-final respectively, due to not being fully recovered from a hamstring injury.

He was named captain for the European Cup in 2005, however did not have a successful season, only placing 5th in the AAA semi-final and running 10.47s (10.48w) for the 100 m and 20.9s for the 200 m. He did, however, receive an MBE in the New Year Honours.

Campbell competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, however did not progress past the semi-final in the 200 m, and the England team were eliminated in the 4 x 100 m after a faulty baton changeover in their heat. He did not compete individually at the European Championships in Gothenburg, but ran the second leg to help Britain to the gold medal in the 4 x 100 relay.

On 13 August 2006, after winning the 4 x 100 m European relay gold medal with Great Britain, Campbell left the track without completing a lap of honour with the rest of his team mates. He initially remained cryptic about his problems, but revealed the next day that his lap of honour boycott was due to his loss of two relay medals (2002 European Championships gold and 2003 World Championships silver) as a result of Dwain Chambers' doping. Campbell did, however, explain that he did stand by Chambers insofar as he was not solely accountable, but he felt Chambers had a duty to inform the authorities of the individuals who led him to his departure to America and his resulting adoption of a drug programme. John Regis criticised Campbell for this stand, also noting that his coach (Linford Christie) had served a drugs ban.

Campbell defended himself, saying "I will not regret doing that. At times you have to stand up for what you believe", and also that he was concerned about youngsters ending up the same situation. He also defended his links with Christie, stating that he would not have remained with Christie if he thought he had cheated.

Campbell announced his retirement on 18 August 2006. His final race was at the inaugural Celtic Cup race in Grangemouth, where he won the 100 m competing as a guest. Campbell surprised Dave Collins and UK Athletics, who had been expecting him to retire following the two-day international athletics meeting at Birmingham taking place over the following two days.

In July 2007, Campbell was announced as the new ambassador for Sky Living For Sport, a successful initiative run by the Youth Sport Trust in conjunction with BSkyB, which uses sport as a tool to re-engage young people who may be at risk of opting out of school life. Sky Living For Sport, now in its fifth year, has involved over 600 schools and benefited over 17,000 young people aged 11–16. Campbell's role will see him meet young people and teachers involved in Sky Living For Sport across the country to share his experiences and help inspire them to reach their full potential.

Campbell is well regarded in football circles; he has given training sessions to Manchester United, Chelsea and Everton. He is said to be a pace and acceleration specialist..

As well as these performances, during his career Campbell has also won seven national titles at either the 100 or 200 metres.

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Maurice Greene (athlete)

Maurice Greene (born July 23, 1974) now retired, is an American former sprinter in athletics, who holds several world records and Olympic medals. He was a former world record holder for the 100 meter sprint, with a time of 9.79 seconds.

Maurice Greene was born in Kansas City, Kansas and attended F.L. Schlagle High School. In his youth and high school, he participated in both football and track and field, but eventually proved to be best in the latter.

In 1995 he took part in his first major international tournament at the World Championships in Gothenburg, but was eliminated in the 100 m quarter-finals. His next season was disappointing, as he failed to make the American team for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

However, the following season would be his breakthrough. At the World Championships in Athens, Greene won the 100 m title. This marked the beginning of Greene's dominance in the 100 m. He successfully defended his title in 1999 and 2001 and captured the Olympic gold medal in the 2000 Olympics. He was also successful at the 200 m. At the 1999 World Championships, he also won the 200 m title, the first to win both sprint events at a World Championships. However, he did not run the 200 m at the 2000 Olympics after an injury at the US trials.

In 1999 he set the 100 m world record at 9.79 s (+0.1 m/s wind), beating Donovan Bailey's standing world record of 9.84 s (+0.7 m/s wind), and lowering the world record by the largest margin since the advent of electronic timing. Greene also matched Bailey's 50 m indoor world record time, but the run was never ratified. He also set the 60 m indoor world record twice. His 60 m indoor record is currently at 6.39 s. Both records still stand. In addition, Maurice Greene is the only sprinter to hold the 60 m and 100 m world records at the same time.

In 2002, Greene lost his 100 m world record to fellow American Tim Montgomery, who beat his time by 0.01 (9.78 s +2.0 m/s), while Greene himself was injured and watched the race from the stands. Montgomery has since been found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs, and his record has been retroactively disqualified. The record was broken legitimately by Asafa Powell in 2005 with a time of 9.77 s (+1.6 m/s wind).

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greene added to his medal tally with the bronze after finishing third in his attempt to defend his 100 m title, and a silver as the anchor leg runner on the United States 4x100 m relay team, narrowly denied another Olympic Gold by the British team, who won by 0.01 seconds.

Greene has run 53 sub-10 second 100 m races during his career, more than any other sprinter in history. Asafa Powell is second with 48. Previously Greene had held the record for the most wind-legal sub-10 second clockings for 100 m in one season, when he ran 9 sub-10s in 1999. This record was also broken by Asafa Powell in 2006 (12), and it was improved by Powell in 2008 to 15.

Greene also appeared on the TV reality show Blind Date.

On February 4, 2008, Greene announced his retirement from track and field in Beijing, citing nagging injuries and a wish to see new individuals succeed in the sport. Greene said he hopes to pursue coaching and business interests. In April 2008, the New York Times reported that Greene had paid Mexican discus thrower Angel Guillermo Heredia $10,000, which Heredia claimed was in payment for performance enhancing drugs. Greene admitted meeting Heredia and making the payment, but claimed it was common for him to pay for "stuff" for other members of his training group, and reiterated that he had never used banned drugs.

Greene was a contestant on Season 7 of Dancing With The Stars, and was paired with two-time champion Cheryl Burke. He was eliminated on Week 8 of the competition, taking 5th place.

Has tattoo that reads 'GOAT' referring to his claim to be 'Greatest Of All Time'.

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