After the 1996 season his form declined and he did not manage to run under 10.20 seconds for the rest of his career. Slowest out of the starting blocks, Powell finished sixth in his second round heat of the 100 m at the Athens World Championships in 10.35 s, and did not progress to the next round. The Jamaican team did not start the first heat of the 4 × 100 m relay, for which Powell was supposed to run first leg.