Divine Iheme may very well be a reputation everyone seems to be speaking about sooner or later; British sprinter has been in comparison with Noah Lyles after breaking 100m and 60m world information for his age class
Final Up to date: 06/01/25 10:08am
Fifteen-year-old Divine Iheme broke the 60m world file for his age group on Sunday in London.
Iheme, who has been dubbed as the brand new Noah Lyles, broke J-Mee Samuels’ Mark of 6.74 from 2003 twice, clocking 6.71 and 6.72 on the subsequent instalment of the BFTTA Indoor Collection.
He’s already fourth on the UK 60m U18 all-time rankings, 0.02 off Mark Lewis-Francis’ file of 6.69 set in 1999.
Final yr, Iheme ran 10.3 over 100m, which was nearly one second faster than the perfect time Olympic champion Lyles managed on the similar age of 14.
{The teenager} shaved two tenths of a second, a large margin in sprinting, off the earlier file and has a brilliant future forward.
“After I first noticed it, I used to be in utter shock, I could not imagine it! I used to be leaping about, operating round, I simply felt so glad however I could not have accomplished it with out God,” stated Iheme, talking completely on Sky Sports activities Information.
“Noah Lyles is a superb athlete and he is given me numerous confidence to pursue this profession, run faster, get a greater time.
“I really feel prefer it provides me the boldness to interrupt increasingly more boundaries as I am going by way of my journey.”
Divine Iheme mentioned turning into the world’s quickest 14-year-old after operating a time of 10.3 within the 100 metres final yr
Iheme reveals watching Bolt noticed him take up sprinting
If you wish to be the perfect, then you must be taught from the perfect and that’s precisely what Iheme is doing.
The younger dash sensation, nicknamed ‘Lightning’ due to his pace, has studied the perfect to ever do it and revealed watching Usain Bolt as a baby solidified his need to grow to be a world-class sprinter.
He additionally believes he has a novel and inimitable operating fashion, very similar to the world record-holding Jamaican.
“I’ve watched various Usain Bolt’s races and Allyson Felix’s 200m, 400m and relays,” Iheme advised Sky Sports activities.
“Most likely the primary race I watched, was his [Bolt’s] 200m world file, the 19.19, and I used to be impressed to pursue the dream.
“I attempt my greatest to slingshot off the bend [in 200m] and proceed holding first till I cross the end line.
“In my view, I feel my [running style] is exclusive and pure. I do not attempt to mannequin it from anybody.”
Iheme is quicker than Noah Lyles was at his age
Pure expertise? Or within the genes?
Iheme advised Sky Sports activities he has already dedicated to representing Nice Britain regardless of his dad and mom each beforehand representing Nigeria on the 2002 Commonwealth Video games in Manchester.
His grandparents had been runners and mom Nkiruka Anu and father Harmless Iheme had been each profitable athletes, in their very own proper – together with his father competing within the 100m and the lengthy bounce, and his mom competing within the 100m and 200m as he does.
Iheme believes he has been blessed with distinctive expertise, however can also be grateful to his dad and mom – significantly his mom, who’s his coach – for serving to him to profit from his present.
“I might say it is a God-given expertise to me,” he added. “However [it’s] additionally [worth mentioning], my dad and mom who’ve coached, helped me get there step-by-step – get faster, prepare tougher.
“Coaching has been actually exhausting however it pays off.”
