Asafa Powell reveals how the death of his siblings motivated him to set 100m record

Jamaican sprint legend, Asafa Powell, has disclosed how the deaths of his two brothers on the eve of a national championship competition motivated him to punch above his weight.

According to the former global sprint record holder, he almost called it quits when the news of the death of his two brothers reached him.

Asafa Powell, who set the 100-metre world record twice between June 2005 and May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds arrived in Ghana for a 10-day visit on the invitation of the Ghana Olympic Committee.

Speaking in an Exclusive interview with the Host of Happy FM’s Happy Sports, Ohene Bampoe Brenya, Asafa Powell shared his experience on how he reacted on hearing about the death of his two brothers on the eve of a National Championship competition.

“When I lost both of my brothers, running track and field was still new to me. It was my second year running track and field and coming out on the scene.

“The news of their death reached me when I was at the National Championships and I told my coaches and parents that I was not going to compete again,” he revealed.

“They were my biggest fans and their death hit me. My elder brother, who was also my mentor and role model called to tell me I should make my brothers proud and that was where I was highly motivated” he added.