South African sprinter, Phatutshedzo Shaun Maswanganyi, who is coached by nine-time Olympic champion Carl Lewis at the University of Houston in the USA, is the favourite for the men’s 100m title at the Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Games.
DOMINANT
The 22-year-old blew away the field in Heat 3 to win in 10.47s, .12 seconds faster than his closest challenger, to lay the marker.
He ran an impressive 30m to leave the rest of the field trailing in his wake before calmly crossing the finish line.
PERSONAL BEST
Only recently in June, he ran a personal best of 9.91m to finished third at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships.
The time became a new University of Houston record surpassing Cameron Burrell’s 9.93 in 2017. Burrell’s father Leroy, a former 100m world record holder, also held the school’s record.
TOP 10 IN 2023
With 9.91m, Maswanganyi is also among the top 10 fastest men of the year 2023, also faster than his compatriot and former African record-holder, Akani Simbine (9.92m).
The Tokyo 2020 Olympian has qualified to compete in both the 100m and 200m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. His 200m personal best is 19.99.
FISU GAMES
After what he described as a “great college season,” Maswanganyi has now set his sights on FISU gold.
He will also participate in the men’s 4 x 100m relay.
SOWETO-BORN
In 2019, Soweto-born Maswanganyi, who attended high school in Pretoria before moving to the USA at age 19, earned 200m gold and 100m silver at the African U-20 Championships in Abidjan, and the following year he broke the South African junior 100m record, clocking 10.06 seconds in Pretoria.
The men’s 100m semi-finals and final of the Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Games are set for Wednesday, August 2 at the Shuangliu Sports Centre Stadium.
Credit: AIPS Media
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