Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Athletics, Usain Bolt
Nasir Jabbar
British sprint phenom Divine Iheme says he drew inspiration from Usain Bolt, having been compared to the Jamaican icon after setting times faster than him.
Iheme, aptly nicknamed 'Lightning', has put the sprint world on notice following his stunning performances on the track.
He rose to prominence last August when he ran 100m in a blistering 10.30 seconds, aged just 14.
Iheme, 15, set a new U15 world record in the process, which was previously set at 10.51 seconds by Jamaica's Sachin Dennis.
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At the same age, Bolt's best time was 10.57 seconds. So, naturally, there's plenty of buzz and excitement around Iheme, who has also been compared to Olympic champion Noah Lyles and fellow teen ace Gout Gout.
Iheme has studied Bolt's game and revealed watching him as a child solidified his desire to become a sprint star - highlighting the Olympic legend's world record-setting 200m performance at the 2009 World Athletics Championships.
He also hailed his own running style, calling it 'unique' and 'natural'.
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In January, he told Sky Sports: "I've watched quite a lot of Usain Bolt's races and Allyson Felix's 200m, 400m and relays
"Probably the first race I watched, was his [Bolt's] 200m world record, the 19.19, and I was inspired to pursue the dream."
Iheme added: "I try my best to slingshot off the bend [in 200m] and continue holding first until I cross the finish line.
"In my opinion, I think my [running style] is unique and natural. I don't try to model it from anyone."
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Born in Oxford as the third son of two Nigerian former international sprinters, Iheme was destined to run fast and his mother, Nkiruka, spotted his potential early on.
"I knew when he was in my tummy," she said. "When I was pregnant, he kept on kicking.
"I am an athlete, his dad and my dad [were athletes]. When he entered primary school, that's when we finally said: 'Yes, we got a talent here we have to nurture."
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Iheme also holds the 60m indoor world record for 15-year-olds and won the English Schools' Intermediate Boys 100m title in 10.41 seconds in July.