Olympics Jan 21, 2026

Divine Iheme: Meet 14-year-old British sprint star dubbed 'the new Noah Lyles' who is quicker than Olympic champion was at same age

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Divine Iheme: Meet 14-year-old British sprint star dubbed 'the new Noah Lyles' who is quicker than Olympic champion was at same age

Divine Iheme believes he has a gift from God when it comes to sprinting and if the most recent times he's clocked are to be believed then he might well be right.

The 14-year-old shaved two tenths of a second – a massive margin in sprinting – off the previous world record for his age group in a recent race at Lee Valley and the teenager already has his mind on bigger accomplishments.

Even more tellingly, his time of 10.3 seconds was almost a second quicker than the best time the recently-crowned Olympic champion in Paris, Noah Lyles, managed at his age.

It's a staggering statistical comparison, with Iheme improving on his own previous personal best of 10.56 – whilst Lyles ran 11.27 seconds at best before his 15th birthday, and previous record holder Sachin Dennis clocked 10.51.

"When I first saw it, I was in utter shock, I couldn't believe it! I was jumping about, running around, I just felt so happy but I couldn't have done it without god," said Iheme, speaking exclusively on Your Site News.

"Noah Lyles is a great athlete and he's given me a lot of confidence to pursue this career, run quicker, get a better time.

"I feel like it gives me the confidence to break more and more barriers as I go through my journey."

If you want to be the best, then you have to learn from the best and that's exactly what Iheme is doing.

The young sprint sensation, nicknamed 'Lightning' because of his speed, has studied the very best to ever do it and revealed watching Usain Bolt as a child solidified his desire to become a world-class sprinter.

He also believes he has a unique and inimitable running style, much like the world record-holding Jamaican.

"I've watched quite a lot of Usain Bolt's races and Allyson Felix's 200m, 400m and relays," Iheme told Your Site.

"Probably the first race I watched, was his [Bolt's] 200m world record, the 19.19, and I was inspired to pursue the dream.

"I try my best to slingshot off the bend [in 200m] and continue holding first until I cross the finish line.

"In my opinion, I think my [running style] is unique and natural. I don't try to model it from anyone."

Iheme told Your Site he has already committed to representing Great Britain despite his parents both previously representing Nigeria at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

His grandparents were runners and mother Nkiruku and father Innocent Iheme were both successful athletes, in their own right – with his father competing in the 100m and the long jump, and his mother competing in the 100m and 200m as he does.

Iheme believes he has been blessed with unique talent, but is also thankful to his parents – particularly his mother, who is his trainer – for helping him to make the most of his gift.

"I'd say it's a god-given talent to me," he added. "But [it's] also [worth mentioning], my parents who've coached, helped me get there step-by-step - get quicker, train harder.

"Training has been really hard but it pays off."

If he keeps working, then it seems his potential is limitless within sprinting.

Divine Iheme, remember the name.

Your Site+ has officially launched and will be integrated into , streaming service and the , giving Your Site customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost.

Tags:

olympics news

Share this article

Related Posts

Olympics 2024: Sifan Hassan wins dramatic women's marathon gold and third athletics medal of Paris games

Olympics 2024: Sifan Hassan wins dramatic women's marathon gold and third athletics medal of Paris games

Sifan Hassan completed a remarkable week with Olympic gold in the women's marathon, having already won a pair of bronzes in the two long-distance trac...

Olympics 2024: USA gymnast Jordan Chiles receives online racist abuse after losing her bronze medal

Olympics 2024: USA gymnast Jordan Chiles receives online racist abuse after losing her bronze medal

Gymnast Jordan Chiles says she received online racist abuse after losing her bronze medal from the Paris Olympics in controversial fashion."I am overw...

Olympics 2024: USA women's basketball team rallies to win eighth straight gold medal

Olympics 2024: USA women's basketball team rallies to win eighth straight gold medal

USA captured their eighth consecutive Olympic title in women's basketball after edging out hosts France 67-66 in Paris on the final day of the Games.T...

Olympics 2024: Emma Finucane and Emily Campbell win bronze medals for Team GB on final day of Paris Games

Olympics 2024: Emma Finucane and Emily Campbell win bronze medals for Team GB on final day of Paris Games

Emma Finucane became the first British woman in 60 years to win three medals at a single Olympics as she took bronze in the individual sprint on the f...

Olympics 2024: Breakdancer Raygun calls for harassment to end as Australian Olympic Committee condemn 'faleshoods'

Olympics 2024: Breakdancer Raygun calls for harassment to end as Australian Olympic Committee condemn 'faleshoods'

Breakdancer Rachael Gunn, known as Raygun, who became a social media talking point after her Paris 2024 performance, has called for the harassment to...

Los Angeles Olympics 2028: Hip hop legend Dr Dre says he is 'serious' about competing in archery at next Games

Los Angeles Olympics 2028: Hip hop legend Dr Dre says he is 'serious' about competing in archery at next Games

Music icon Dr Dre says he wants to compete for the USA in archery at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.During an interview on Entertainment Tonight, th...