A star on the collegiate circuit became a global star when Joseph Fahnbulleh finished fourth at the World Championships in Oregon. Although he finished behind teen sensation Erriyon Knighton, he established himself as a serious student athlete on the world stage.
Coming into the Championships
Having won both the 100m and 200m titles at the NCAA championships earlier in the summer, Joseph Fahnbulleh came into the World Championships as a big hitter.
The Liberian sprinter also finished in the top eight at the Olympic Games last year in Tokyo, which should have cemented his name as among the favourites in the event.
With all eyes on the American cohort, however, the Liberian athlete slipped more under the radar than his track record would warrant. With athletes like Matthew Boling, Micah Williams and more vying for a place in the US side, Fahnbulleh avoided this race for selection.
Despite the lack of hype, Fahnbulleh’s titles and times speak for themselves. As part of the prestigious Florida Gators athletics squad, he has a current personal best of 19.83 in the 200m, which placed him seventh overall this year in that event.
The World Championships
Fahnbulleh featured in the very first heat of the 200m at the World Championships. Competing against the likes of Jerome Blake and Joseph Paul Amoah, it was not necessarily a done deal that he would advance. However, he cruised to victory in this heat with a blistering 20.12 second clocking.
The semi-finals were certain to give the Liberian more of a challenge. Only the top two athletes from each race would advance, along with two fastest losers – leaving no room for error. It was déjà vu for Fahnbulleh in that he finished ahead of Jerome Blake, but he was beaten by the Dominican sprinter Alexander Ogando. Ogando ran a personal best by a tenth of a second to beat Fahnbulleh, but nevertheless both athletes advanced to the final.
The final was, obviously, stacked with talent from across the world. All eyes were mainly on the Americans – and for good reason in some ways as they ended up with a clean sweep. Running from lane seven, Fahnbulleh had a trademark lacklustre start, but his fans knew what was to come. Making up multiple places in the latter stages of the race, he edged out Alexander Ogando to claim fourth spot.
Although Fahnbulleh may have been disappointed without a medal, this collegiate athlete is far from done yet. He finished just four thousandths of a second behind Knighton, who had previously held the fastest time in the world for 2022. The incredible 19.31 clocking for Noah Lyles also essentially meant that only silver and bronze were up for grabs.
As he is still in the early stages of his career, Fahnbulleh seems set to become a new sprinting mainstay. Perhaps at the next major championships he will be the one to challenge the American dominance in the sprint events, and could even challenge for a global title.