By Dwyane Mcleod, Staff Reporter

The prodigal son has apparently returned.

Many Jamaicans had turned their backs on Asafa Powell following his disgraceful third place finish at the recently held World Championships of Athletics in Osaka, Japan. Now some of those same persons are heaping praises on the country's biggest track star after he posted a new world record yesterday.

"Me neva too please with him afta him come third inna a big, big World Championship. Me did a seh him wash up and fi go siddung, mi neva expect him fi do anything special," Annette, from upper St. Andrew, said. Now Asafa has run his way back into her heart. "Him a di wickedest thing since slice bread, trust me. Now me really believe seh a just nerves mek him lose inna Japan," she said.

Michael, 30, from St. Elizabeth, admitted that after the World Championships, he vowed never to watch another race which involved Asafa. Now, Asafa has apparently beaten 'badmindedness' out of him. "Bway, me did seh mi naw go watch nuh more Asafa race, but afta mi hear dis, mi haffi start big him up back again; mi haffi si dah run deh too," he said.

Competent coach

After setting the new record, Asafa vowed he could go faster and at least one track and field coach supports this claim. "Asafa can lower the record even more, I will not be surprised," Maurice Wilson, coach of GC. Foster College, said.

According to Wilson, Asafa's success lies with the factors of good coaching and the chance to relax. "I knew he would do well. He has a good, competent coach, and after four tough rounds at the World Champs, the coach would have been able to correct whatever went wrong," Wilson said before adding, "I'm extremely happy but not the least surprised."

The other athletes in the race posed as no major threat to Asafa, a factor which Wilson claims contributed to the record-breaking sprint. "Unlike at the World Champs, there was no rivalry, he was able to relax, and that leads to good sprinting," he said.

The record comes only two weeks after the sprinter finished a disappointing third at the track and field World Championships in Osaka, Japan, after which he came under much criticism.

Nevertheless, some people never lost faith in the track and field superstar. "First of all, I must say big-ups and nuff respect to Asafa, I really respect his determination, he has done Jamaica proud on so many occasions," Charmaine, 37, from Kingston, said. "After the World Champs, he came under a lot of pressure from all sorts of people. It would be interesting to hear what they are gonna say now."