After several attempts at a wind-legal performance, Issam Asinga finally achieved the 100-meter record he was aiming for. On Friday, July 28, the 18-year-old won the men’s 100-meter final at the South American Outdoor Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 9.89 (+0.8), a new world U20 record.
While representing Suriname, the Montverde Academy graduate improved on the previous 9.91 record set by Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo at the 2023 World U20 Championships in Cali. Asinga also shattered the previous senior South American record, 10.00 set by Robson da Silva in 1988.
Asinga built momentum with a stellar performance in his semifinal, which he won in 10.03, bettering the 24-year-old championship record. In the final, the Texas A&M signee led the top three under the 10-second barrier, including Erik Cardoso, who ran a Brazilian national record in 9.97. Fellow U20 star, Ronal Longa of Colombia, ran a national record in 9.99.
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The U20 world record was several weeks in the making for Asinga, who had previously run faster than 10 seconds but with wind-assisted times on four occasions earlier this season.
“I am very pleased with my performance,” Asinga told World Athletics. “I knew the result would eventually happen, that it was only a matter of time.”
According to World Athletics, Asinga was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and spent his early years in Zambia, where his mother was born. His father is three-time Olympian Tommy Asinga, a former sprinter who still holds Suriname national records in the 400, 800, and 1500 meters.
Friday’s victory is the latest breakthrough for Asinga, who also owns the national high school record in the 200 meters. He and three other sprinters from around the globe are currently tied at No. 4 on the 2023 world rankings list. He is slated to represent Suriname at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, which begin on August 19.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
