KINGSTON, Jamaica – The life-size statue of Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell was, on February 9, unveiled at a special ceremony at the National Stadium in Kingston.
The 37-year-old athlete was accompanied by his wife, Alyshia Miller-Powell and newborn son, Amieke. Prime Minister Andrew Holness and the Minister of Youth, Sports, Culture, Entertainment and Gender, Olivia Grange was also at the unveiling ceremony of statue, now located at the Independence Park in the National Stadium.
”The renowned Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson was engaged by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport to design statues in honour of Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Asafa Powell”, said Minister Grange at the ceremony.
“This is the final of four statues that we commissioned as part of the Jamaica 55 Legacy programme to celebrate the achievements of our outstanding athletes. The statues not only highlight Jamaican athletic success but will serve as inspiration for all of us about what is possible when we try.”
Powell and his wife had already given the statue a stamp of approval a few weeks before the official unveling. Just before the ceremony, Powell expressed joy in having his own statue placed at the National Stadium.
“For the last 10 years we have been dominating the sports, creating superstars, super athletes here in Jamaica, so to be among those is really an honour for me,” said Powell.
“I am very excited and it’s an overwhelming feeling and I just want to thank Jamaica and my fans for really pushing this forward for me,” Powell added.
