By Angu Lesley
Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon
Cameroonian sprint star Emmanuel Eseme delivered the performance of his career on Tuesday night, storming to a Commonwealth Games record of 9.83 seconds to win the men’s 100 metres title at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Running in torrential rain and into a legal +1.3m/s tailwind, Eseme exploded out of the blocks before powering clear of the field to claim Cameroon’s first athletics gold medal of the Games. His sensational time erased the previous Commonwealth Games record while also setting a new Cameroon national record, improving on his previous best of 9.96 seconds.
Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy finished second in 9.85 seconds, a new Australian national record, while Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi claimed bronze in 9.87 seconds after another high-quality sprint final.
Eseme’s 9.83 places him third on the African all-time list, behind only Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala (9.77) and South Africa’s Akani Simbine (9.82). It also makes the 32-year-old the third-fastest man in the world this season, underlining his status as one of the continent’s premier sprinters.
Speaking after his triumph, Eseme credited his composure despite the difficult weather conditions, with heavy rain drenching the track throughout the evening session in Glasgow. His ability to stay relaxed and execute his race plan proved decisive as he pulled away from a world-class field to secure a memorable victory.
The victory marks another major milestone in Eseme’s remarkable rise. After becoming the first Cameroonian to break the 10-second barrier in 2023 and winning African Games gold in 2024, he has now added a prestigious Commonwealth Games title to his growing collection of honours.
Eseme’s historic victory also strengthens Cameroon’s athletics legacy, with the national record and Games record confirming him as one of Africa’s fastest sprinters in history.
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