SINCE THE RJR Sports Foundation voted Asafa Powell and Veronica Campbell-Brown as Jamaica's Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year two weeks ago, I have just got the opportunity to express my views. Let me hasten to say the committee's decision, which I am not in total agreement with, did not surprise me. Why? Because since 2004, I have not given much respect to the committee's decisions or selections.

Unchallenged female

Before I express my personal views, let me say Campbell-Brown, winner of the World Champion-ships 100m title in Osaka and the second-place finisher in the 200m, was unchallenged for the female crown.

However, in the men's section, the race was always between world 100m record holder Asafa Powell and World Championships silver medallist Maurice Smith.

The committee of Ed Barnes, Olympian Vilma Charlton and Jimmy Richards went for Powell and this is where I have the problem.

I have a problem because, traditionally, the committee has also gone for the Olympic and World Championships performance. They did this in 2004, the year Powell first broke the world record by giving the award to Danny McFarlane - and I also had a problem with that.

Even then, Powell, who wasn't even given second for his of world record, was quoted as saying: "I knew they were going to give Danny McFarlane (the Sportsman of the Year) but I thought I would have gotten the runner-up position."

Chris Gayle finished as the runner-up.

Michael Hall, chairman of the then Carreras Sports Foundation, defended giving the award to McFarlane. Now, in the same position with the RJR Sports Foundation, the criteria seem to have been reversed.

Now, it appears the world record gave Powell the edge when it was not even good enough for second place in 2004. To me this committee cannot be trusted because of a lack of consistency.

"I think what gave him (Powell) the nod was the world record," Hall was quoted in a local newspaper as saying.

In 2007, Powell finished third to claim bronze in the 100m at the World Championships in August, but returned two weeks later to smash his own world record of 9.77 by running a stunning 9.74 seconds in Reiti, Italy. A brilliant performance it was, but he is yet to prove himself on the big stage or break the record against a world-class field.

Powell was also instrumental in Jamaica sprint relay team's silver medal at the World Championships after collecting the baton in fifth position.

The team blazed to a national record 37.89 seconds behind the US (37.78), adding to his 10 sub-10 seconds clockings, none of which came as surprise to Jamaicans as he was expected to do it - or even better.

Unbelievable performance

Decathlete Smith, on the other hand, did the unbelievable, starting with a super performance at the Pan Am Games in Brazil where he brought success to Jamaica with gold, accumulating 8,241 points in Rio de Janeiro.

The former Calabar student did not stop there and went to the World Championships in Osaka to create history and established a national record 8,644 points, his fifth in two years, beating his previous best of 8,349, which saw him end up behind Olympic and world record holder Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic (8,676).

The committee's decision was also a slap in the face for the local governing body, the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA), of which three-time Olympian Charlton is the third vice-president and who a couple weeks before made the correct move by awarding Smith, who became the first Jamaican to win a medal at a world event in the decathlon.

Another problem I have is the lack of quality in the committee's selection of nominees, as apart from Powell, Smith and Usain Bolt on the men's side, Campbell-Brown, Novlene Williams and Delloreen Ennis-London on the women's, no other athletes were worthy of nomination.

Hall, if he has nothing to do with the final section, should urge his committee to be more consistent in its selections in the future.

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