Issam Asinga runs 9.89secs, sets World U20 record at South American Athletics Outdoor Championships

SAO PAULO, Brazil (July 28) — Teen sensation Issam Asinga delivered a remarkable performance, clocking a stunning time of 9.89 seconds (0.8 m/s), to set a new World U20 record and shatter the championships record in the men’s 100-meter final at the 2023 South American Athletics Outdoor Championships on Friday (28).

Asinga, who had comfortably cruised into the final earlier in the day with a time of 10.03 seconds — a time that already surpassed the previous championship record — returned approximately 90 minutes later to clinch the final. This victory marked his first senior medal for Suriname and saw him eclipse the previous world U20 record of 9.91 seconds, set in 2022 by Letsile Tebogo.

Read more: How to watch Issam Asinga at the 2023 South American Athletics Championships?

There were some personal bests and national record behind the Florida-based sprinter today as well.

Trailing Asinga home at the 2023 South American Athletics Outdoor Championships were Brazil’s Erik Cardoso, who clocked a personal best and national record of 9.97 seconds to secure the silver medal, and Ronal Mosquera of Columbia, who also ran a personal best and national record with his third-place finishing time of 9.99 seconds.

Issam Asinga, one of the most talented young sprinters in the world at present, will be aiming to maintain his form as he heads to Budapest next month for the World Athletics Championships.

The 18-year-old’s time bettered his previous wind-legal personal best of 10.02 seconds, while becoming only the third junior to break 10 seconds for the 100m, following in the footsteps of Tebogo (9.91), USA’s Trayvon Bromell (9.97) and Jamaica’s Bouwahjgie Nkrumie (9.99).

2023 South American Athletics Outdoor Championships – Men’s 100m results