A new U20 Jamaica national record was set in the 100-meter dash at the 2023 Jamaica High School Boys and Girls Athletics Championships.
Bouwahjie Nkrumie, who is a 19-year-old senior in high school, became the youngest Jamaican sprinter to break the iconic 10-second barrier in the 100-meter sprint.
Nicknamed “Dr. Speed,” Nkrumie ran a blazing 9.99 seconds.
This works out to just a hair faster than 36 kilometers per hour or 21.3 miles per hour.
Nkrumie, who is from Kingston, Jamaica, entered an elite “club,” consisting now of only three runners in the world under the age of 20 to ever break the 10-second barrier in the event.
The other two U20 sprinters to break 10 seconds in the 100-meter dash are American sprinter Trayvon Bromell and the U20 world record holder, Letsile Tebogo, from Botswana.
Just last year, Tebogo set the U20 world record of 9.91 seconds at the U20 World Athletics Championships in Cali, Colombia.
Interestingly, Nkrumie was also in the final at that race, where he ran his previous best time of 10.02 seconds.
As for what’s next for Nkrumie, his future as a world-dominant sprinter is looking bright.
Several of the world’s best sprinters—Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, and Asafa Powell—have all hailed from Jamaica.
Since Nkrumie has just set the U20 100-meter Jamaican national record, he already has a leg up on the performances of these legends at his age.
Although not officially confirmed, Nikrumie will likely race at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August.
You can follow the incredible “Dr. Speed” on his Instagram page here.
For more information about the average human sprint speed (and record sprinting speeds), check out our article here.
