Athletics: Kiwi sprinting prodigy Eddie Osei-Nketia wins 100m final at Oceania Championships

  • 26/06/2019

Rising Kiwi sprint star Eddie Osei-Nketia has claimed first place in the final of the 100m at the Oceania athletics championships in Townsville.

Osei-Nketia overcame a slow start out of the blocks to surge home over the final 40m and take a step closer to the world championships at Doha in September.

"It's really exciting for me to be an Oceania champion at just 18," Osei-Nketia told Newshub. "It just shows I've got so much to look forward to in the future."

The 18-year-old - the son of national 100m recordholder Gus Nketia - crossed the line with a time of 10.34s, then collapsed to the track in elation, as he saw his name flash up at the top of the standings - the moment he realised he would be heading to the world champs.

He qualified for the final with first place in the last of the three semi-finals, where he registered a time of 10.43s to become the second-fastest qualifier.

This was the first time Osei-Nketia had donned the black singlet that his father wore in the mid-90s, since his highly publicised allegiance tug-of-war between New Zealand and Australia.

Osei-Nketia was born in New Zealand and raised in Canberra, before returning to his country of birth in January.

In the women's 100m, Zoe Hobbs completed a Kiwi sweep with an emphatic win in the final, clocking a time of 11.56s to also cement her place at the world champs.

Newshub.