SPORTS: Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh’s 200m final ‘a B minus at best’

Source BBC Sports

GETTY IMAGES: Joseph Fahnbulleh (left) was left in the wake of Americans Noah Lyles, Kenneth Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton

Joseph Fahnbulleh says he has vast room for improvement after finishing fourth in the 200m final on his World Athletics Championships debut in Oregon.

The 20-year-old Liberian, who came fifth in the Olympic final last year, finished 0.04 seconds behind the bronze medal winner in Eugene.

“I did not perform to my highest level. I give it a B minus at best,” he told BBC Sport Africa.

“I need to do better on executing and that comes with maturing and growth. Getting fourth in a field where it was like no other – this year especially – I need to take some merit. But the merit is only 1%.”

Fahnbulleh became a young African athlete to watch out for with his performances at the Tokyo Olympics, setting a new Liberian national record of 19.98s in the final.

He arrived at the World Championships as the fifth-fastest sprinter this year after a blistering season that saw him become America’s National Collegiate Athletic Association 100m and 200m champion, lowering his personal best time in the latter event to 19.83s.

He admitted to battling race anxiety after his semi-final on day five, and he remained extremely critical of his race execution in a final where his training partner Erriyon Knighton won the bronze medal in an all-American podium.

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