Usain Bolt has set the bar high for sprinters in Jamaica and worldwide. He is known as the greatest sprinter of all time, but there might finally be another one of his countrymen who could challenge for that title in the future.
Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, also known as “Dr. Speed,” has just run a 9.99 seconds in the 100 meters as a junior athlete. The 19-year-old set a Jamaican junior record and won gold at the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association Boys and Girls Championships in Kingston on March 29. He is the only teenage sprinter from Jamaica to break 10 seconds and only the third person ever to do before turning 20.
He joins American Trayvon Bromell (9.97) and current junior world record holder Letsile Tebogo of Botswana (9.91) in the under-20 and sub-10 club.
The New Speed Star
In August 2022, Nkrumie ran 10.39 seconds in the 100 at the World Athletics U20 Championships. He was defeated by Tebogo, who ran 10.02 seconds.
Nkrumie’s performance on Wednesday meant he briefly held the fastest time in the world this year before South African sprinter Akani Simbine surpassed him the next day with times of 9.98 seconds and 9.92 in two heats at the South African Championships.
“I can’t explain the feeling right now. I can tell you, now, it was not easy to do. It will only get better from here. Felt good throughout the rounds but I wasn’t pleased with the execution in the final again. That’s what affected me last year but I promise you I will get it together at the right time,” said Nkrumie after Wednesday’s triumph.
“The journey has been rough to be honest,” he continued, “but if only some athletes in high school had the mindset that I have, they’d be so fantastic. But, as I said, I’m happy to achieve this time and it’s only going to get better from here.”
In addition to his flourishing track career, Nkrumie is a senior at Kingston college, an all-male school that is focused on sports and academics.
Nkrumie is expected to compete for a spot on the Jamaican national team ahead of the 2023 World Championships in Budapest this August.
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