Western Bureau:

It was not long ago that Asafa Powell was the undisputed king of Jamaica's track and field. As the man with the most sub-10 clockings over 100m in the history of the sport of track and field, he commanded pride of place not only in Jamaica, but also on the world stage.

In the era of Powell's dominance, the current sprint king, Usain Bolt, had not yet come to prominence, and our newest sprint sensation, the dazzling Yohan Blake, was still competing for St Jago High School in the annual ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships.

While Powell could not boast of winning any individual gold medals at the Olympic Games or the IAAF World Championships, that seemed to matter very little to his adoring fans, who, seemingly, were quite content to see him breaking the 100m world record almost at will.

Based on the respect that I had for Powell when he ruled the circuit, I find it somewhat difficult to join those who are now making it a sport to bash the sprinter. However, it is also difficult to ignore the fact that with the 2012 Olympic Games on the horizon, Powell seems to be churning out more excuses than good performances.

To be fair to those who are critical of Powell, there is no question that over the years, he has squandered many glorious opportunities to earn an indisputable spot among the greats. In fact, it could be argued that had he lived up to his potential, many athletes who have won major medals at his expense would have probably spent their careers looking at the back of his vest

With Bolt and Blake now taking the spotlight in the sprints for Jamaica, and others like Nester Carter and Dexter Lee waiting in the wings, it would appear that the Powell era is drawing to a close. Regrettably, instead of being labelled an icon, many are labelling him a chicken on account of recent happenings.

While I am finding it hard to take pleasure in ridiculing the former world record holder, I must admit that he seems to be contributing to it with the way he has been operating and the things he has been saying lately.

a master at making excuses

For reasons best known to him, Powell seems to be doing his best to avoid Bolt and Blake. additionally, he seems to have become a master at making excuses.

I was disappointed when Powell pulled out of the 200m at the 2012 JN Jamaica International Invitational World Challenge meet at the National Stadium for what I consider a flimsy excuse. In fact, the way that it was handled, and the excuse itself, seemed to give credence to the view of those who believe he was simply hiding from Blake.

After feeding his critics with the ammunition needed to attack him at the JN Jamaica International Invitational event, Powell further compounded the issue when he promptly went to Europe and was chased down and beaten by Justin Gatlin, who is making his way back into the sport after a four-year ban. To make the situation more laughable, he came with a jet-lag excuse.

Based on what I have seen and heard from Powell this season, I am beginning to believe that in addition to being low on confidence, he is helping to promote the view that he is a coward, especially when it comes to taking on the elite athletes in the sport. In fact, I am convinced that he needs professional help if he intends to make his mark at the upcoming Olympic Games.

While I seriously doubt it will ever happen, I would love to see Powell under the guidance of a coach Glen Mills for even one season. After seeing what Mills has done for the likes of Raymond Stewart, Bolt, and Blake, he could be the man to solve Powell's mental flaws.

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