“People Would Mistake Him for Me”: Sprinting Icon Asafa Powell Reflects on His Relationship With GOAT Usain Bolt

The track and field world has given fans some of the most iconic friendships that have transcended beyond the field, one of them being the bond shared between stars Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt. The duo raced together on track since the early 2000s and have maintained a close friendship over the years.

In a recent episode of the Ready, Set, Go podcast, hosts Justin Gatlin and Rodney Greene sat down with Powell to reflect on his relationship with the track and field GOAT. Together, Powell and Bolt raced in the same team and were even a part of the 4x100m team in the London Olympics. But they never experienced the feeling of rivalry at any stage.

Recalling how Bolt was still in his teens when they had begun racing together, Powell revealed how they had formed an immediate bond with each other. The young icon, at the time, was still learning the ropes and was already shining bright in the eyes of fans.

They would always hang out together, party around, and had found several similarities between each other. However, one anecdote particularly stood out to Powell, who revealed how the public at the time used to see Bolt.

“It got to a point where people knew that Usain was there and they were looking for him. But at the same time, whenever Usain goes, the street people would…mistake him for me. They would say ‘Asafa! There’s Asafa!’.”

Perhaps that played a crucial role in strengthening their friendship since their similarities began reflecting in their looks and personas. Years later, the now-retired stars have still not changed even in the slightest, and continue to fool around and have a good laugh.

“Until this day you know… Usain and I…whenever we see each other or if we talk to each other, just all jokes.”

And that’s the sign of two of the most iconic sprinters who didn’t let rivalry spoil the plot between them. Both Powell and Bolt are celebrated as some of the most decorated athletes, and now they can’t wait to watch current-day stars show off their talent.

Asafa Powell feels Noah Lyles could break the record set by Usain Bolt

Bolt has been one of the most exceptional athletes in the track and field arena, having established several world records during his prime. However, now that there are brand new contenders to his talent, could someone match up to his speed?

Powell believes that sprinting icon Noah Lyles could cross Bolt’s 200m world record due to his terrific performance so far. He had already come close to beating it during the 2022 World Athletics championships and might just get too close to breaking it soon.