Who is Divine Iheme? All about the 14-year-old sprinting sensation from UK who has broke the 100m age group world record

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Aug 27, 2024 14:01 GMT

Divine Iheme has done the unthinkable. The 14-year-old sprinting sensation from the UK has run the 100m in just 10.3 seconds at a recently concluded athletic meet at Lee Valley in London, UK.

With that, Iheme, aka 'Lightning Divine,' has also broken the under-15 world record in the 100m event. The previous world record in this event was held by Sachin Dennis of Jamaica, who had run the 100 m under 10.51 seconds at 14 years and seven months.

Interestingly, Divine Iheme broke the record not once but three times, having run 100 meters under 10.46, 10.48, and 10.49 seconds, respectively. However, all of them were wind-assisted and, therefore, not valid.

Iheme's previous best was 10.56 seconds, which he ran at the UK U15 & U17 Track and Field Championships held in July this year.

With this, Divine Iheme is now third on the European under-18 all-time list. Only Teddy Wilson (10.26) of Great Britain and France's Jeff Erius (10.27) have run better than him.

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Divine Iheme's parents and early life

Divine Iheme was born on January 1, 2009, to Innocent Iheme and Nkiruku Iheme, who originally hail from Nigeria. Both represented Nigeria at the 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester.

Interestingly, Nkiruka is also Divine Iheme's personal coach and the founder of the PWD Athletic Academy, based in Oxfordshire, UK.

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Divine Iheme's early achievements

Divine Iheme is inspired by sprinting legends like Usain Bolt and Allyson Felix. He watched and observed their performances as he grew up.

"I've watched quite a lot of Usain Bolt's races and Allyson Felix's 200m, 400m, and relays. Probably the first race I watched, was his [Bolt's] world record, the 19.19, and I was inspired to pursue the dream," Iheme told Sky Sports in July.

Divine also revealed that even though he was born in Nigeria, he is more than proud to represent Great Britain in the future because it is here that he grew up and created his own identity.

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The unthinkable potential of Divine Iheme

Divine Iheme in action at the England U15 Track and Field Championships [Image Source: Getty]

However, if Divine Iheme can attain 10.3 seconds in less than 15 years, imagine what he can do at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, when he will be 19 years old.

The current national record for men's 100m is being held by Zharnel Hughes, who qualified for the semifinals in 100m at the Paris Olympics. He had clocked 9.83 seconds at the USATF New York Grand Prix, held in June 2023.

He also contributed to a surprise bronze medal for Great Britain in the 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympics, Great Britain's first Olympic medal in the event after two decades.

Individually, it's been more than three decades since Great Britain last won the 100m event at the Olympics, with Linford Christie winning the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

If Divine Iheme maintains his consistency, he has a bright future ahead of him.