Joseph Fahnbulleh

Joseph Fahnbulleh (born 11 September 2001) is a Liberian-American sprinter. An Olympic finalist, Fahnbulleh is a double NCAA champion and finished fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the 200 meters race.

Joseph Fahnbulleh
Joseph Fahnbulleh at the 2022 World Championships (2022)
Joseph Fahnbulleh at the 2022 World Championships (2022)
Personal information
Born (2001-09-11) 11 September 2001
Home townHopkins, Minnesota, United States
EducationHopkins High School
Sport
CountryLiberia
SportAthletics
Event(s)100 meters, 200 meters
College teamFlorida Gators
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
  • 100 m: 9.98 +1.6 m/s (Gainesville 2023)
  • 200 m: 19.83 +0.6 m/s (Eugene 2022)

Early and personal life

Born in Hopkins, Minnesota, to Liberian parents, Fahnbulleh attended Hopkins High School.[1] His mother was brought up in Liberia but had to flee to the United States to avoid the Liberian civil war when she was twelve years-old.[2][3]

Career

After being named National High School Coaches' Association boys athlete of the year in 2019 he was encouraged by Florida coach Mike Holloway to attend the University of Florida, and Fahnbulleh subsequently won the 200 m at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor National Championships with a personal best time of 19.91 seconds. He was also named National Senior Boys' Track and Field Athlete of the Year.[4]

After declaring for Liberia and being named in their team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo,[5] Fahnbulleh was given the honor of being the flag bearer for his nation in the opening ceremony.[6] The journey to Tokyo for the Olympics was the first time Fahnbulleh had ever been outside of the United States.[7]

He made it through to the final of the 2020 Olympics 200 meters race with a time of 19.99 seconds in his semi-final, setting a new Liberian national record.[8] He finished in fifth place in the final, again setting a new national record with a time of 19.98 seconds.[9]

On 10 June 2022, Fahnbulleh won both the 100 m and 200 m events at the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships with times of 10.00 (+0.6 m/s) and 19.83 (+0.6m/s) respectively, helping the Florida Gators to the 2022 NCAA men's team title.[10][11][12]

Fahnbulleh placed fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the 200 meters running 19.84 seconds in the final.[13]

Competing in the 200 meters at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023, he qualified from the semi finals for his third consecutive major 200 meters final.[14]

Sponsorship

In August 2022, Fahnbulleh announced he had signed a professional contract with global brand Asics.[15]

Statistics

Personal records
EventTime / MarkWind (m/s)VenueDateNotes
100 m9.98+1.6Percy Beard Track, Gainesville, Florida, U.S.April 15, 2023NR
200 m19.83+0.6 Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon, U.S.June 10, 2022NR
60 m indoor 6.73 — Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. February 6, 2021
200 m indoor20.32—Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.February 27, 2022
300 m indoor33.42—Clemson, South Carolina, U.S.January 11, 2020

References
  1. "Gators In Olympic Games: Joseph Fahnbulleh". Florida Gators. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  2. Wachira, Lynne (7 October 2022). "Joseph Fahnbulleh: I want sprint legacy to change image of Liberia". BBC.com. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  3. "World Athletics Championships 2023: Fahnbulleh says African elite can challenge US sprinters". bbc.com. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  4. "Joseph Fahnbulleh - Track and Field". Florida Gators. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  5. Friedman, Vanessa (2021-06-21). "Telfar Clemens Is Getting Into the Leggings Game". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  6. "Athletics flag bearers help to light up Olympic Opening Ceremony in Tokyo | FEATURES | World Athletics". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  7. Tribune, Jim Souhan Star. "Joe Fahnbulleh is a Minnesotan, a Gator, a flagbearer, and really, really fast". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
  8. "Athletics - Semi-Final 2 Results". olympics.com. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
  9. "Athletics - Final Results". olympics.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
  10. "Men 100 M". flashresults.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  11. "Men 200 M". flashresults.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  12. "Fahnbulleh wins 100 and 200 meters at NCAA championships". San Francisco Chronicle. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  13. "Hopkins runner Joseph Fahnbulleh finishes just off the podium in 200 meters at world championships". Star Tribune.
  14. "Men's 200m Results: World Athletics Championships 2023". Watch Athletics. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  15. Admin. "Joseph Fahnbulleh signs with ASICS". Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  16. "Joseph FAHNBULLEH". World Athletics. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
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