Athletics

Israel Olatunde lowers his Irish 100m record to 10.12 seconds in London victory

Tallaght AC athlete continues return to form that puts him in sight of being the first Irish sprinter to break 10-second mark

Israel Olatunde took .05 of a second off his Irish 100m record at the NEB Open meeting in London on Sunday afternoon. Photograph: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
Israel Olatunde took .05 of a second off his Irish 100m record at the NEB Open meeting in London on Sunday afternoon. Photograph: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
Sun Aug 18 2024 - 18:03

Israel Olatunde has broken his own Irish 100 metres record, clocking a brilliant 10.12 seconds to win at the NEB Open meeting in London on Sunday afternoon.

With that the 22-year-old Dublin sprinter took a full .05 off his previous mark set two years ago, the wind reading of 1.7m/s inside the legal limit of 2.0m/s.

Olatunde got the better of Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (10.14) and Stephen Baffour (10.17).

His previous Irish record of 10.17 seconds was set when finishing sixth in the 2022 European Championships final in Munich, which eclipsed Paul Hession’s mark of 10.18, which had stood since 2007. It also brings him within chasing distance of the 10-second barrier.

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After a difficult 2023, the Tallaght AC sprinter has clearly found his best form again this summer, coming from behind to win the national title in June in 10.27, with a couple of more races lined up before his season is done.