But his friends say that Asafa Powell, the Jamaican sprinter who’s as quick with a handshake and a smile as he is with getting out of the starter’s blocks, just might be the slowest walker.

Fast but low-key.

“He’s extremely laid-back,” says Paul Doyle, Powell’s agent and friend. “He’s the world’s slowest walker. I don’t know if you’d call him a homebody, but he’s quite shy outside of his inner cycle.”

Going for the Gold
This August, this shy and speedy Jamaican will be on the world stage again, a favorite to win the 100 in the Olympics.

It’s an unexpected spotlight for the youngest of six brothers who grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, and was in church every Sunday morning. In fact, both of his parents are ministers.

“While growing up, we were a close family,” Powell says. “I’d go to church every Sunday; I heard the message every Sunday. I became a Christian at a young age.”

Powell didn’t start out wanting to be a sprinter. Soccer was his favorite sport. But his 11th grade P.E. teacher had another idea.

“She told me I was fast and that I should try running,” Powell says. “I had respect for her, so I tried it.”

It was like a fish learning to swim—Powell was a natural. Currently, he’s run 100 meters under 9.8 seconds five times, more than anyone else. In September, he broke his own world record with a 9.74.

His success on the track has given him rock star status in Jamaica. He can’t walk the streets without fans swarming him and asking for his autograph.

“He’s more famous than the prime minister,” Doyle says.

Yet fame and financial success haven’t changed him. “He’s as humble a world-recorder as there’s ever been,” Doyle says. “It’s difficult for him at times, but he hasn’t let it go to his head.”

But Powell has discovered that his Christian testimony may be its loudest during hardships. Tragedies haven’t turned Powell from God. One of his brothers, Michael, was murdered while driving a taxi in New York in 2002. Another brother, Vaughn, died of a heart attack while playing soccer in Atlanta in 2003.

After the death of his brothers, Powell changed his plans to train in the United States and remained in Jamaica, where he could be close to his parents.

“He felt he was better off staying at home, and his mother wanted him to stay at home,” Doyle says. “As sort of a promise to his mom, he stayed at home.”

So, when Powell isn’t flying around the world to race, he’s at home, training and playing the drums and guitar on Sundays, accompanying his church choir.

Powell understands the power of prayer. He thinks Christians sometimes underestimate prayer.

“I have a lot of people who are praying for me,” Powell explains. “Prayer is what keeps us going. That’s the key.”