Featured image by Madeah Addy (Joseph Fahnbulleh in Paris2024 men’s 200m round one)

Joseph Fahnbulleh advances to the the Paris2024 men’s 200m semifinal after running an effortless 20.20 and placing first in his heat.

Fahnbulleh ran in heat one, lane four against Italy’s Desalu Eseosa and South Africa’s Niekerk van Wayde, who will join him in the semifinal. This is Fahnbulleh’s second Olympic Game.

During his first Olympic appearance at the Tokyo2020 Games, the then 19-year-old sprinter advanced to the finals, and finished fifth overall. He was the only African to make the Tokyo2020 men’s 200m finals. Now, at 22 years old, his most recent accolades include winning the 2024 men’s 100m and 200m African Championship titles.

When asked about his Paris2024 men’s 100m first-round, Fahnbulleh shared the strategy engrained in him from the University of Florida, where he won several outdoor NCAA and SEC Championships.

“You win the heat, you make it to the semis, that’s nothing new in our group,” Fahnbulleh said in the post-race interview. “You get through the rounds, you go to the final, in the final, you turn your brain off, and then you compete.”

Most spectators noticed Fahnbulleh taking it very easy in round one. This is a common strategy runners use to preserve energy for the more intense rounds.

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What’s next: Paris2024 men’s 200m semifinal

Fahnbulleh has his mind set on making it to the finals and securing Liberia’s first Olympic medal. He will run in the semifinal on Wednesday 7, August. The heats will start at 8:02 p.m. local time.

When asked about his message to the Liberian people, Fahnbulleh shared a simple scripture from the Bible.

“My message to them at this stage is a scripture. It is Psalm 23,” Fahnbulleh said. “Go read Psalm 23 and you know why I feel so calm. My mom always reads me Psalm 23, you know why.”

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