The British sprinter who was faster than Lyles and Gout at 14

BBC News

11-07-2025

When Divine Iheme ran the 100m in 10.3 seconds as a 14-year-old last summer, he set a world record.To put that time in context, Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles' personal best at the same age was about one second slower, while Australian sprint prodigy Gout Gout clocked 10.57.A year on, Iheme holds the 60m indoor world record for 15-year-olds, which he set in January.But he has much higher ambitions."I can see myself with an Olympic title to my name in the 100 and the 200, and hopefully it will happen," says Iheme, who is nicknamed 'Lightning'.Born in Oxford as the third son of two Nigerian former international sprinters, Iheme was born to run fast - and his mum spotted it early on."I knew when he was in my tummy," says Nkiruka Divine, who is not just his mum - but also his coach. "When I was pregnant, he kept on kicking."I am an athlete, his dad and my dad [were athletes]. When he entered primary school, that's when we finally said: 'Yes, we got a talent here we have to nurture.'"Iheme is competing this weekend at the English Schools Athletics Championships, where he is targeting more success.
'There would always be this big gap'
Having initially tried gymnastics, Divine turned to athletics when he was seven years old - and soon noticed he was different from his peers."In the 75m race in primary school, there would always be this big gap," he says."I'd always look back saying: 'Did I run that?' It felt kind of weird to me."Having run for fun alongside other sports, things became more serious after he impressed at the English Schools Athletics Championships in 2023."I was 13 and won [the 100m] in 11.7 seconds," he said. "I was like: 'This is what I want to do.'"
'Once we enter the track, I don't look at him as my son'
After competing at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Nkiruka served for nine years in the British Army, which she says influenced her as a coach.Aware of Divine's potential, she and her husband Innocent founded the PWD Athletics Academy in Oxford, where their son trains four times a week."It's tough, very tough. I can't escape any sessions," the teenager says, smiling."He knows that once we enter the track, I don't look at him as my son," Nkiruka says."I have to get down to business, so I take off motherhood and bring in the coach.""She knows me more than anyone because I'm her son," Divine chips in."She knows how to critique me well; which bits I'm stronger at and which bits I'm weaker at so it's really good."Her training is what got me those two records."
'I'm aiming to get my 200m much, much quicker'
Iheme says he grew up watching videos of Usain Bolt's record-breaking performances over 200m at the World Championships in Berlin, admires Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, and has been following closely the times posted by Gout."He's doing great. I saw his recent 20.2, and I was really happy for him," he said.Iheme and Gout may one day go head to head for athletics' biggest prizes, but for now the Briton is focused solely on self-improvement."I'm hoping to run a PB of 10.2 or even lower," he says."And I'm aiming to get my 200m down much, much quicker. Sub-21."Despite his obvious talent, Iheme remains what many would regard as a typical teenager."I like to watch Netflix. I love binge watching," he says.The importance of remaining grounded can't be overstated. The athletics world is littered with countless examples of talented juniors who never transitioned to top-level seniors."Many of us who have been in athletics for a long time understand that it's a marathon," says 2010 world indoor champion Dwain Chambers."It's about teaching the athletes skills on and off the track… it's a case of nurturing at the right time."