Divine Oduduru runs 2019 world fastest time in 100m, 200m
Divine Oduduru, Nigerian sprinter set a new world fastest time in the 100m race at the Michael Johnson Invitational track and field event.
The 22-year-old ran a time of 9.94 seconds in his first attempt and later rounded off with a time of 9.94s to win the event.
According to Premium Times, the feat achieved by the Nigerian is the fastest time in the 100m in the world so far this year. It is also the athlete's 'personal best and also a new School Record.
Barely sixty minutes after his 100m feat Oduduru once again finished strong in the 200m after running a time of 19.76 which left the crowd present at the venue in awe.
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The Texas Tech sprinter will see his 19.76 time declared a new national record by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria as it beats Francis Obikwelu's 19.84 time set in 1999 at the World Championships in Seville Spain.
"In my 35 years of coaching, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Tech coach Wes Kittley said after Oduduru recorded the double wins in the 100m and 200m events.
"To run that 9.94 and then 40 minutes later, ran the 200. This was a really tight schedule and pretty spectacular performances that close together."
According to lubbockonline.com, only 18 other men have ever run 19.76 or faster outdoors in the 200m, with Usain Bolt topping the list.
While others are Johnson, Carl Lewis, LaShawn Merritt, Yohan Blake, Justin Gatlin, Walter Dix, Tyson Gay and Wallace Spearmon among others.
Meanwhile, Oduduru’s 19.76 is the second-fastest ever by a collegian.
“There’s several guys running in the 9.9s,” Kittley said, “but you start separating the 19.70s, that’s really a fabulous mark. And that’s his best race right now.
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“But it’s the best 100-meter race I’ve seen him put together since we’ve had him. He really drove the right amount of time before he came up and got into his transition, so I was really proud of his race setup,” the coach said.
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound junior from Nigeria broke the Clyde Hart Stadium records of 10.02 and 20.30, both set by then Baylor star, Trayvon Bromell, who won the 2016 World Championships gold medal in the 60 meters.
Legit.ng earlier reported that Nigerian athlete Divine Oduduru has registered his name once again in the history books of athletics after breaking a 14-year-old record in America on Saturday, April 21.
Oduduru broke the Texas Tech 14-year 100m record at the Michael Johnson Invitational in the United States of America.
The 21-year-old achieved the feat by running a personal best time of 10.10s to emerge winner in the 100m invitational event.
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