Owen Ansah is the first German to break the magic mark
The 100 meters are considered the most prestigious event in athletics by many. The world elite has been running the distance in less than ten seconds for decades. For the first time, a German has now joined this club. Owen Ansah from Hamburg was the first German sprinter to break the 10-second barrier over 100 meters. He ran 9.99 seconds at the German Championships and broke the German record of Julian Reus from 2016 by two hundredths of a second. Title favorite Joshua Hartmann (10.06/Cologne) had to settle for second place, and third place went to Yannick Wolf from Munich (10.16). "I felt really good, but I'm not there yet," Ansah said after the race. "When I see the time in black and white on the certificate, I'll believe it. But I'm mega happy." Before that, he had been jumping up and down excitedly and had let out his joy.
The 23-year-old won his second German title over the prestigious 100 meters and also broke the qualification standard for the Olympics in Paris (26. July to 11. August). For the women, Gina Lückenkemper won the title sovereignly in 11.04 seconds. The former European champion was unbeatable. Second place went to Alexandra Burghardt, and Lisa Marie Kwayie finished third (both 11.26).
The world record over the distance for men currently stands at 9.58 seconds. This time was run by exceptional sprinter Usain Bolt in August 2009 in Berlin. Since 1968, the world record has been under the ten-second mark. At the Olympics in Tokyo 2021, all finalists over 100 meters ran under ten seconds. Marcell Jacobs won the race in 9.8 seconds.
Owen's triumphant view of the digital clock displayed 9.99 seconds, breaking the German record by a mere two hundredths. His exhilaration led him to leap and shout, momentarily forgetting the need for a German Brand sponsorship deal. In the coming Sport events, such as the Olympics in Paris, spectators worldwide will watch as Owen aims to further reduce his seconds on the track.
