The dynamic nature of sports makes the future very unpredictable, however, the future of Jamaican sprinting has grown brighter and even more optimistic due to upcoming athletic greats, including Bouwahjgie Nkrumie.
The 19-year-old is the only Jamaican teenager to run a 100m sprint below 10 seconds as a junior athlete. He posted a record time of 9.99 (+0.3 wind assisted) in the 100m sprint at the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association Boys and Girls Championship in Kingston, Jamaica, where he won the gold medal.
The teenage sprinter is now the third junior athlete in the world to ever run below 10 seconds after Letsile Tebogo (9.91 seconds) in 2022 and Trayvon Bromell (9.97 seconds) in 2014.
Bouwahjgie’s previous personal best was 10.02 seconds (+0.3 wind assisted), which earned him a silver medal at the 2022 World Championship in Colombia and helped Jamaica clinch the second position in the 4x100m relay.
His historic run at the 2023 Championship saw him posting a time of 10.51 to win his heat. He improved to 10.08 in the semi-finals, before setting up the spectacular victory at the finals with a record time of 9.99 seconds.
“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,” Nkrumie said after the race.
“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.”
While he is not yet comparable to Usain Bolt, the Kingston College sprinter clearly has the potential to be among the Jamaican sprinting legends and Olympic heroes – Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, and Johan Blake.
“The journey has been rough to be honest, 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.”
Bouwahjgie Nkrumie is already looking to the future and setting more ambitious targets.
“Let’s see. The season is long. With the way my coach planned out this season, you will definitely see me run faster down the line.”
As expected, athletics fans and commentators awed by the teenager’s sterling performance flooded social media with congratulatory posts:
World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) “Big day for Jamaican U20 athletes in the 100m. Bouwahjgie Nkrumie becomes the first Jamaican U20 athlete to dip under 10 seconds. Alana Reid clocks the 7th fastest time in the U20 category. That acceleration.”
Television Jamaica (@televisionjam1) “WHAT DID WE JUST WITNESS. Bouwahjgie Nkrumie makes HISTORY by clocking 9.99s to become the first ever athlete to run sub-10s at Boys Champs. What a time, what a performance, WHAT AN ATHLETE.”
