Joseph Fahnbulleh

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Joseph Fahnbulleh

| fullname = Joseph Blowadeh Siafa Fahnbulleh[https://results.accra2023ag.com/wrs/eng/zb/engzb_athletics-athlete-profile-n11971-fahnbulleh-joseph-blowadeh-siafa.htm 2023 African Games bio]

| image = Joseph Fahnbulleh 2024 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Joseph Fahnbulleh at the 2024 African Championships (2024)

| nationality =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|9|11|df=yes}}

| birth_place =

| hometown = Hopkins, Minnesota, United States

| height = 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)

| weight =

| country = Liberia

| sport = Athletics

| event = 100 meters, 200 meters

| club =

| coach =

| collegeteam = Florida Gators

| education = Hopkins High School

| pb = {{ubl

|100 m: 9.98 +1.6 m/s (Gainesville 2023)

|200 m: 19.83 +0.6 m/s (Eugene 2022)

}}

| show-medals= yes

|medaltemplates=

{{MedalCountry | {{LBR}} }}

}}

Joseph Fahnbulleh (born 11 September 2001) is a Liberian-American sprinter. An Olympic finalist, Fahnbulleh is a double NCAA champion and finished fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the 200 meters race.

Early and personal life

Born in Hopkins, Minnesota, to Liberian parents, Fahnbulleh attended Hopkins High School.{{Cite web|title=Gators In Olympic Games: Joseph Fahnbulleh|url=https://floridagators.com/news/2021/7/18/mens-track-and-field-gators-in-olympic-games-joseph-fahnbulleh.aspx|access-date=2021-07-24|website=Florida Gators|language=en}} His mother was brought up in Liberia but had to flee to the United States to avoid the Liberian Civil War when she was twelve years-old.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/africa/63090780|website=BBC.com|accessdate=15 July 2023|title= Joseph Fahnbulleh: I want sprint legacy to change image of Liberia|first=Lynne|last=Wachira|date=7 October 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/africa/66139715.amp|website=bbc.com|accessdate=15 July 2023|title= World Athletics Championships 2023: Fahnbulleh says African elite can challenge US sprinters|date=14 July 2023}}

Career

After being named National High School Coaches' Association boys athlete of the year in 2019, he was encouraged by Florida coach Mike Holloway to attend the University of Florida, and Fahnbulleh subsequently won the 200 m at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor National Championships with a personal best time of 19.91 seconds. He was also named National Senior Boys' Track and Field Athlete of the Year.{{Cite web|title=Joseph Fahnbulleh - Track and Field|url=https://floridagators.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/joseph-fahnbulleh/14143|access-date=2021-07-24|website=Florida Gators|language=en}}

After declaring for the Liberian national team and being named to their roster for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo,{{Cite news|last=Friedman|first=Vanessa|date=2021-06-21|title=Telfar Clemens Is Getting Into the Leggings Game|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/style/telfar-liberia-olympics.html|access-date=2021-07-24|issn=0362-4331}} Fahnbulleh was given the honor of being the flag bearer for his nation in the opening ceremony.{{Cite web|title=Athletics flag bearers help to light up Olympic Opening Ceremony in Tokyo {{!}} FEATURES {{!}} World Athletics|url=https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/news/athletics-flag-bearers-tokyo-olympic-opening-ceremony|access-date=2021-07-24|website=www.worldathletics.org}} His journey to Tokyo was the first time Fahnbulleh had ever been outside of the United States.{{Cite web|last=Tribune|first=Jim Souhan Star|title=Joe Fahnbulleh is a Minnesotan, a Gator, a flagbearer, and really, really fast|url=https://www.startribune.com/joe-fahnbulleh-olympics-200-meters-hopkins-liberia-flagbearer/600083848/|access-date=2021-10-03|website=Star Tribune}}

Fahnbulleh made it through to the final of the 2020 Olympics 200 meters race with a time of 19.99 seconds in his semi-final, setting a new Liberian national record.{{Cite web|title=Athletics - Semi-Final 2 Results|url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/../../../en/results/athletics/result-men-s-200m-sfnl-000200-.htm|access-date=2021-10-03|website=olympics.com|language=en-us}} He finished in fifth place in the final, again setting a new national record with a time of 19.98 seconds.{{Cite web|title=Athletics - Final Results|url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/result-men-s-200m-fnl-000100-.htm|access-date=2021-08-04|website=olympics.com|archive-date=2021-08-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804130120/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/result-men-s-200m-fnl-000100-.htm|url-status=dead}}

On 10 June 2022, Fahnbulleh won both the 100 m and 200 m events at the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships with times of 10.00 (+0.6 m/s) and 19.83 (+0.6 m/s) respectively, helping the Florida Gators to the 2022 NCAA men's team title.{{Cite web |title=Men 100 M |url=https://flashresults.ncaa.com/Outdoor/2022/001-2_compiled.htm |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=flashresults.ncaa.com}}{{Cite web |title=Men 200 M |url=https://flashresults.ncaa.com/Outdoor/2022/002-2_compiled.htm#data |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=flashresults.ncaa.com}}{{cite news |title=Fahnbulleh wins 100 and 200 meters at NCAA championships |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/article/Fahnbulleh-wins-100-and-200-meters-at-NCAA-17234782.php |access-date=11 June 2022 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=10 June 2022 |archive-date=11 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611040840/https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/article/Fahnbulleh-wins-100-and-200-meters-at-NCAA-17234782.php |url-status=dead }}

Fahnbulleh placed fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the 200 meters, running 19.84 seconds in the final.{{cite web | url=https://m.startribune.com/hopkins-runner-joseph-fahnbulleh-finishes-just-off-the-podium-in-200-meters-at-world-championships/600192132/?clmob=y&c=n&clmob=y&c=n | title=Hopkins runner Joseph Fahnbulleh finishes just off the podium in 200 meters at world championships | website=Star Tribune }}

Competing in the 200 meters at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023, he qualified from the semi finals for his third consecutive major 200 meters final.{{cite web|url=https://www.watchathletics.com/page/4569/men-s-200m-results-world-athletics-championships-2023|website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=25 August 2023|date=24 August 2023|title= Men's 200m Results: World Athletics Championships 2023}}

In March 2024, he was a bronze medalist in the 4x100m relay at the 2023 African Games.{{cite web |accessdate=20 March 2024 |date=20 March 2024 |title=2023 African Games: Nigeria marginally beat Ghana to win gold in Men's 4x100m relay |url=https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/2023-African-Games-Nigeria-marginally-beat-Ghana-to-win-gold-in-Men-s-4x100m-relay-1922380 |website=Ghanaweb}} He ran as part of the Liberian 4x100m relay team that qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics at the 2024 World Relays Championships in Nassau, Bahamas.{{cite web|website=Watch Athletics|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/5397/men-4x100m-results-world-athletics-relays-championships-2024|accessdate=12 May 2024|title= Men 4x100m Results - World Athletics Relays Championships 2024|date=5 May 2024}} In May 2024, he finished fourth in the 200 metres at the 2024 Prefontaine Classic.{{cite web|url= https://www.letsrun.com/news/2024/05/2024-prefontaine-classic-shacarri-richardson-wins-big-joe-kovacs-throws-far-and-keely-hodgkinson-crushes-mary-moraa/|website=Lets Run|accessdate=26 May 2024|title= 2024 Prefontaine Classic: Sha’Carri Richardson Wins Big, Joe Kovacs Throws Far and Keely Hodgkinson Crushes Mary Moraa|date=25 May 2024

}} He competed in the 200m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he reached the final, placing seventh overall.{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/5847/men-s-200m-results-paris-olympic-games-2024-athletics |website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=28 December 2024|title= Men's 200m Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics|date=8 August 2024}} He also competed in the men's 4x100m relay at the Games.{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/5861/men-s-4x100m-relay-results-paris-olympic-games-2024-athletics |website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=28 December 2024|title=Men's 4 x 100 Metres Relay - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics|date=9 August 2024}}

He finished third over 200 meters in May 2025 at the 2025 Doha Diamond League.{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/6640/results-doha-diamond-league-2025|website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=19 May 2025|title= Results - Doha Diamond League 2025|date=16 May 2025}} The following week he ran 20.12 seconds (0.4m/s) to finish second in the 200 meters at the 2025 Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat, also part of the 2025 Diamond League.{{cite web|website=World Athletics|accessdate=28 May 2025|url= https://worldathletics.org/news/report/rabat-2025-chebet-el-bakkali-bol|title= Chebet storms to second on world 3000m all-time list with 8:11.56 in Rabat |date=25 May 2025}}

Sponsorship

In August 2022, Fahnbulleh announced he had signed a professional contract with global brand Asics.{{Cite web |last=Admin |title=Joseph Fahnbulleh signs with ASICS |url=https://newtonagency.co.za/joseph-fahnbulleh-signs-with-asics/ |access-date=2022-08-25 |language=en-US}}

Statistics

Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.{{cite web |title=Joseph FAHNBULLEH |url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/liberia/joseph-fahnbulleh-14803230 |website=World Athletics |access-date=12 June 2022}}

=Grand Slam Track=

=Personal records=

class=wikitable style=text-align:center ! Event !! Time / Mark !! Wind (m/s) !! Venue !! Date !! Notes
100 m	9.98	+1.6	Percy Beard Track, Gainesville, Florida, U.S.	April 15, 2023	{{AthAbbr\|NR}}
200 m	19.83	+0.6	Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon, U.S.	June 10, 2022	{{AthAbbr\|NR}}
60 m indoor \|6.73 \|{{n/a}} \|Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. \|February 6, 2021 \|
200 m indoor	20.32	{{n/a}}	Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.	February 27, 2022
300 m indoor	33.42	{{n/a}}	Clemson, South Carolina, U.S.	January 11, 2020