- Sets new games record with 9,83secs in men’s 100m
Fresh from shattering a 28-year-old record through the Glasgow rain, newly crowned Men’s 100m Commonwealth Games champion, Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon, says he hopes his success can make a difference in the manner African sprinting is seen across the world.
In a blistering speed and track dominance, Eseme clocked 9.83 seconds to claim the gold medal inside a wet EDF Scotstoun Stadium on Tuesday, setting a Games and national record in the final, which featured five other African competitors.
After breasting the tape in the historic race and re-writing the record books, the Cameroon’s track sensation, who claimed Cameroon’s first medal of the Games, said: “I feel in the past a lot of people didn’t really believe in African sprinting.”
Igniting a fierce personal mission to rewrite global perceptions of African sprinting, the 32-year-old further said, “The discipline that really prevailed in Africa was the long endurance races with athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. But nowadays, we have people in front of us in the short distances like South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who is someone who really inspired me in the world of sprinting.
“We also have (2022 Commonwealth Games 100m champion and African record holder) Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN) and (Paris 2024 Olympic Games 200m champion) Letsile Tebogo (BOT). All these people have served as an inspiration, not just to the younger generation, but also to people like me who believe that sprinting and speed is not just for other nations but for African nations as well.”
A late arrival in elite sport, Eseme’s sprinting prowess was only spotted while he was playing football at university, where he was studying environmental engineering. Nine years later, life has changed beyond recognition.
Expectedly, the two-time Olympian began his bid for a sprint double in Thursday’s 200m semi-finals. However, whatever happens, the Cameroonian believes his 100m medal is simply another step on his journey.
According to him: “I have way more ambition and I know I can do better. I feel I only got to the big stage in 2023 and I believe I have a long way to go and I have a lot more to give.”
Proud To Inspire Others
Back home in Cameroon, Eseme’s gold medal was cheered on by those involved in his sporting foundation (the Eseme Alobwede Foundation) set up to help youngsters develop through sport and the sprinter was quoted as saying: “I’m very proud to be an inspiration because it has always been my dream to help others and help the younger ones to grow.
“With my foundation I motivate and inspire the younger generation to get into sport because we are very talented in that region and a lot of people can benefit from it. This medal serves as confirmation of all the work I have been doing with my foundation.”
Besides his passion for sport, Eseme, whose commitment to campaigning for the health of the planet is clear to see, volunteered thus: “I’m very conscious about what’s happening in my country when I see how many people are ignorant when it comes to waste management and waste disposal.
“I feel like we can do more. I want to be that person who can help my country, not just in waste management, but also in preserving the environment. It makes me a better human being because having those environmental aspects in my head makes me a little bit different from other competitors.
“I go into competitions with my own (drink) bottle and I try to reduce waste from plastic bottles. I always try to do things to show how important the environment is to me.”
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Eseme ran 9.83 seconds for a new Commonwealth Games and Cameroon’s National Records in the men’s 100 meters in Glasgow at Scotstoun Stadium to win the gold medal. Lachlan Kennedy of Australia bagged the silver in a time of 9.85 seconds, setting a new Oceanian/Australian record while the the bronze medal went to Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi who ran 9.90 seconds to place third.
