Ottawa teen enters Olympic conversation with record-breaking performance

Canadian women's 100m sprint is enjoying a resurgence, led by impressive performances from 16-year-old Jorai Oppong-Nketiah from Ottawa. In the U20 women's 100m semi-finals at the Canadian Olympic Trials on Friday, Oppong-Nketiah set a new national junior record with a blistering time of 11.38 seconds (+0.9 m/s), putting her name in the conversation for the Canadian women's Olympic 4x100m relay team.

Oppong-Nketiah came close to improving her new national junior record in the under-20 final, clocking 11.39 seconds into a headwind (-0.7m/s). Despite the more difficult conditions, she dominated the final, winning by almost half a second over her competitors two to three years older.

This is the second time Oppong-Nketiah has broken the Canadian U18 100m record this season. She first broke the record at the Bob Vigars Invitational in London, Ont., last month, finishing second in the elite women's 100m with a time of 11.51 seconds, just shy of turning 16.

According to Ottawa Sports PagesOppong-Nketiah was introduced to athletics in 4th grade when one of her primary school teachers, recognizing her natural speed, encouraged her to try out for the athletics team.

Oppong-Nketiah's winning time at the Canadian Trials is the fifth-fastest time by a woman under 18 in the world this year and the eighth-fastest time by a Canadian. Her feat sparked discussions about her potential inclusion in the Canadian group for the Paris 2024 women's 4x100m relay. She is currently mentored by Athletics Canada's national relay coach Glenroy Gilbert And Gordon Cave with the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club.

CANADIAN U18 RECORD
Jorai Oppong-Nketiah just set a new U18 record and a U20 championship record in the 100m heats with his blistering time of 11.38 seconds!

Jorai's time also eclipses the Farah Jacques Club record of 11.49 seconds set in 2016.

WOW WOW WOW pic.twitter.com/PPC8D2IQS3

— Ottawa Lions TFC (@OttawaLionsTFC) June 28, 2024

According to Athletics Canada's selection criteria for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: “No athlete under the age of 16 as of December 31, 2024 (born in 2009 or later) may participate in the Olympic Games. » Oppong-Nketiah narrowly meets this criterion, since she was born in June 2008. Even if she is not selected for Paris, her talent and record performances suggest that she will be a name to watch in the sprint women's team ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The Bell 2024 Canadian Olympic Track and Field Trials will take place June 26-30 at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex in Montreal. All our action and coverage are brought to you by Canadian running and New Balance Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Canadian Olympic Trials and up-to-date exclusive news and content.