Liberia: Matadi Reclaims 100m National Record
Matadi had held the national record (10.01) set in 2019 at the Star Athletics Sprint Series, before Fahnbulleh broke it on June 10, when he finished in 10.00 (+0.6) at the 2022 NCAA Championship in Florida.
Just when Joseph Fahnbulleh found himself making the headlines for the right reason after making history at the 2022 NCAA championship, compatriot Emmanuel Matadi sprinted his way through to overtake Fahnbulleh to reclaim his 100m national record.
Matadi had held the national record (10.01) set in 2019 at the Star Athletics Sprint Series, before Fahnbulleh broke it on June 10, when he finished in 10.00 (+0.6) at the 2022 NCAA Championship in Florida. Two weeks after Fahnbulleh broke the national record, Matadi didn’t just reclaim his national record but also improved his previous time.
Matadi, 31, reclaimed his record after finishing first in the men’s 100m preliminaries of the 2022 NGC National Association of Athletics Administrations of Trinidad and Tobago (NAAATT) Open Championship in Trinidad and Tobago.
He clocked 9.98 seconds in his heat, the best performing athlete in the preliminaries, as he ended up finishing 1st among the qualified 18 semifinalists according to the overall rankings. The NAAATT hosts athletic track and field meets, and posts athletic heats and events results, as well as athlete records, and rankings.
It also organizes championship race fixtures, gold, silver, and bronze award ceremonies. Also coaching and certification resources for athletes and sports clubs in Trinidad and Tobago. It is an affiliate of North America, Central America & Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC), World Athletics (formerly International Association of Athletics Federations IAAF), and the Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC).
The result also earned Matadi a ticket to the 2022 World Championship in Oregon, United States. The last two months have been filled with remarkable moments for Liberia’s athletes, including highlights at the CAA Junior and Senior African championships and the 2022 NCAA championship.