“Thanks to My Dad I Could Do the Unimaginable” — Owen Ansah
Owen Ansah at the German Nationals 2024
9.99 Seconds — The Record Race
Owen Ansah made history earlier this year after being the first German to break through the 10-second barrier in the 100m. Sub-10 times are common in the United States and the Caribbean. In Germany, however, track and field fans waited decades for the magic barrier to fall. Now, just a few months later, Ansah shared his thoughts about his record-breaking season at “Trueathletes”.
Early in 2024, Hamburg-born Ansah dealt with injuries and opted out of the indoor season, giving him just 8-10 weeks to get back to full fitness. Ahead of the European Championships he competed only once — coming second behind Jeremiah Azu at a meet in Leverkusen, Germany (goldenjavelin reported) — running a strong 10.11s. Having finished fifth at the European Championships (10.17s), many expected Ansah to be the only athlete to challenge Joshua Hartmann for the title at Germany’s Nationals at the end of June.
He eventually crowned himself as national champion in a record time. His coach Sebastian Bayer believes this is just the beginning. “9.99 isn’t the end. It’s just the start,” Bayer said in July, looking to the future with optimism.
Ansah, however, commented post-race that “[9.99] isn’t really enough to make waves internationally,” acknowledging that matching the times run by the international elite would require further improvement.
Owen Ansah setting a National Record at the German Nationals — Brunswick, Germany
Role Model and Mindset
At Trueathletes Owen revealed the pressures he faced, his relationship with his father and what drives him to keep pushing towards new levels.
“Thanks to my dad I could do the unimaginable,”
he said during the podcast. Growing up, he saw his father working hard to create a better life for their family, in Germany and Ghana.
“My father fought his way through in Germany to give his family a better life. He arrived in Germany with nothing other than a backpack, a toothbrush and a passport”
he explained. At home he developed a mindset that plays a significant role in his success:
“Why should I not make it if others can? I owe this mindset to my dad”
Noah Lyles against Owen Ansah, Heat 3 at the Paris Olympics
Olympics: A Learning Experience
Despite the success at the German Nationals, Owen’s Olympic experience in Paris didn’t go as expected. Finishing fifth in his heat, he didn’t advance to the semi-final.
“I wasn’t happy with how I did at the Olympics. I wanted to make it further”
“You can’t always deliver what you ran two or three weeks ago. Even Noah Lyles ran a ‘10 point something’ in my heat,”
he commented, realising that the Olympic stage brings a level of pressure that is hard to prepare for.
Though disappointed at first, Owen soon realised:
“I’ve only been training for four months, and I’m still the first German sprinter under 10 seconds. No one can take that away from me”
“I’ve gathered experience now and I want to make it right in the coming years,”
he said, looking ahead to the future.
Owen Ansah and Yannick Wolf at the Paris Olympics
Rise of German Sprint
Owen’s breakthrough is part of a growing trend in German sprint. 200m National Record Holder Joshua Hartmann ran a wind-assisted 9.92s prior to the Olympics and is Germany’s first Olympic semi-finalist in the 100m since 1984.
Lucas Ansah-Peprah ran Germany’s second fastest wind-legal time (10.00s), fulfilling the Olympic standard just after the qualification period had ended, however. Yannick Wolf has set a new Bavarian Record in 10.08s.
“There’s a lot of talent in the group. Maybe there will be two or three more guys under 10 seconds in the next few years,”
Owen explained. Note that Germany’s National Record stood since 2016, previously held by Julian Reus (10.01s). German track and field legend Armin Hary won the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome in a hand-stopped 10.00s.
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