Owen Ansah becomes first German to run 100 metres in under 10 seconds

Ansah becomes first German to run 100 metres in under 10 seconds

Owen Ansah made history on Saturday by becoming the first German 100-metres sprinter to run under 10 seconds.

The 23-year-old clocked 9.99 seconds at the national championships in Braunschweig, surpassing the previous German record of 10.01 seconds held by Julian Reus.

Ansah's remarkable performance also secured him a spot at the upcoming Paris Olympics. He edged out pre-race favourite Joshua Hartmann, who finished with a personal best of 10.06 seconds.

Standing proudly in front of the timing board with a wide smile, Ansah celebrated his groundbreaking achievement. "It had to happen sometime. It happened today," said the newly crowned German champion. "And I'm mega-happy that I was the first."

He dedicated his victory to his father, whose birthday coincided with the championships.

Ansah spoke fondly of his father, who emigrated from Ghana to Germany and was once a track and field athlete himself. "My role model is my father. He came to Germany with nothing," said Ansah. His father's guidance and encouragement from his seventh-grade sports teacher inspired Ansah to pursue athletics.

The record-setting performance marks a for Ansah, who endured a challenging period due to a thigh bone injury that sidelined him for six months last year.

"That was a tough time, but that's part of it," the Hamburg SV athlete reflected.