Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, a 19-year-old sprinter from Kingston, Jamaica, made history this week by running a blistering under-20 national record of 9.99 seconds in the 100-meter, making him just the third person worldwide to break the 10-second barrier before their 20th birthday. (Predictably, the effort secured him the top podium spot at the Jamaica High School Boys and Girls Athletics Championships, held at Kingston's National Stadium.)
Nkrumie, appropriately nicknamed "Dr. Speed," is not only the third-fastest junior sprinter ever but also the youngest Jamaican sprinter to break the 10-second barrier at the distance—a massive achievement in a place like Jamaica, known for producing sprinters like the inimitable Usain Bolt, as well as Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake. With Nkrumie joining American Trayvon Bromell and current world record holder Letsile Tebogo of Botswana in the under-20, sub-10 club, the competitiveness of the 100-meter looks to grow even more intense in the coming years.
At the U20 World Athletics Championships in Cali, Colombia, last year, Tebogo defeated Nkrumie in the 100-meter final. Nkrumie ran a 10.02 second time, his previous personal best. However, Tebogo prevailed with a new U20 world record of 9.91 seconds. Bromell’s time of 9.97 was posted in 2014 at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Nkrumie's time of 9.99 seconds in the 100-meter was briefly a world-leading time for 2023, though not for long, as Akani Simbine of South Africa surpassed him with a time of 9.98 seconds in the men’s 100-meter heats at the South African Championships on Thursday.
Nkrumie, the new Jamaican record holder, is a senior at Kingston College, an all-male school focused on sports and academics. He is expected to compete for a spot on Team Jamaica ahead of the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest this August.
Laura Ratliff is a New York City-based writer, editor, and runner. Laura's writing expertise spans numerous topics, ranging from travel and food and drink to reported pieces covering political and human rights issues. She has previously worked at Architectural Digest, Bloomberg News, and Condé Nast Traveler This Jamaican Sprinter Just Ran Faster Than Usain Bolt Did at 19 TripSavvy. Like many of us, Laura was bitten by the running bug later in life, after years of claiming to "hate running." Her favorite marathon is Big Sur.
