"Jamaica is not a country to carry on your back...be yourself, be selfish" - Sprinting legend Asafa Powell's advice for Kishane Thompson

Kishane Thompson recently received some golden words ofadvice from sprinting legend Asafa Powell. The former Jamaican sprinter opened up on several issues on his latest YouTube podcast, including the immense pressure of expectations that the Jamaican athletes have to face.

Powell had invited his former rivals Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay to the recent episode of his podcast. According to Powell, Thompson should develop such a mindset that he is capable of facing any kind of competition, whether it comes from Noah Lyles, Letsile Tebogo, or even Fred Kerley. In his words:

"I think that’s when you feel the pressure when you think about the country, the world…when you look at this (points to the Jamaican logo on his sweater) and remember that this is watching, whether the US or Jamaica," Powell said.

Powell also revealed that if Thompson needs to succeed further on the global stage, he will have to let go of the burden of expectations from the fellow Jamaicans.

"Jamaica is not a country to carry on your back, these people are very very hard on the athletes, very tough. They love you to death but they are hard on the athletes so Jamaica is not a country to carry on your back. You need to focus on yourself, be yourself, be selfish,” said the former sprinter.

Kishane Thompson was one of the strongest hopefuls for an Olympic gold. He had started well in the finals, until he was challenged by Noah Lyles. The Jamaican ultimately lost the Olympic gold by a bare margin of 0.005 seconds in the photo finish.

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Kishane Thompson on his current season

Kishane Thompson at the Paris Olympics [Image Source : Getty]

Kishane Thompson was one of the few Jamaican sprinters, who saved the nation from the embarassment of returning without an Olympic medal from the sprinting events.

The athlete opened up on how he handled his injuries, and also reflected on his current season of 2024. In an interview to a local radio channel, Thompson mentioned,

"Honestly, I didn’t think about doing something else. I really understood that it seemed like I was destined or I had so much great potential that it was so hard to manifest. You know but, the more that I tried, it seemed like the more held back I got so it forced me to even try harder," Thompson said.

Thompson had made his professional debut in 2019 itself. However, recurring injuries forced him out of several competitions, and it wasn't until 2024 that he finally managed to make his Olympic debut.

The Jamaican sprinter announced his arrival in style when he clocked a personal best of 9.77 seconds at the Jamaican Olympic trials. He was all set for a historic Olympic gold medal, when he was edged out by American sprinter Noah Lyles in an intense race, whose results had to be decided via photo finish. Kishane Thompson suffered further injuries, which forced him out of the Wanda Diamond League events, and subsequently, the rest of the season.