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SA’s latest sprint sensation: Five things to know about Luxolo Adams
The Eastern Cape star has bounced back in spectacular fashion after being sidelined by injury.
Luxolo Adams after winning the 200m race at the Paris Diamond League. Picture: Getty Images
South African athletics has seen a long list of sprint sensations in recent years, and the rise of Luxolo Adams has been no less explosive than the emergence of any of his more esteemed compatriots.
After he lit up the track in Paris at the weekend, we take a closer look at Adams, where he’s from and what he’s achieved.
Where is he from?
Born in Burgersdorp, Adams is a true son of the Eastern Cape, and he now lives in Gqeberha.
Though it is reported that he attended a few schools in his youth, he matriculated from Ethembeni Secondary School in 2015.
A student at Nelson Mandela University, he competes for the Madibaz club.
How did he start?
In his youth, like many young boys in South Africa, Adams’ first love was football.
He started out as a goalkeeper but was shifted to the midfield when his coach discovered he was rather quick on his feet.
It was only in 2008, at the age of 12, that he decided to start sprinting after watching Usain Bolt win 100m and 200m gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
What did he do?
Adams stuck up his hand in spectacular fashion on the eve of the World Athletics Championships in Eugene next month, rocketing over the line in 19.82 seconds to earn his first Diamond League victory in Paris on Saturday night.
He wasn’t exactly facing a line-up of world beaters, but the field did include Olympic champion Andre de Grasse, who finished fourth, which was a massive scalp for the 25-year-old South African.
The win will serve as a major confidence boost for the lanky speedster, not only for the World Championships but also ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August.
What does this mean?
Well, his time is lightning fast, even by international standards.
Adams is now ranked fourth in the world this year in the 200m event, with only three American athletes – world junior record holder Erriyon Knighton (19.49), world champion Noah Lyles (19.61) and Fred Kerley (19.80) – having run quicker this season.
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His new personal best also lifts Adams to second place in the all-time SA rankings, with only national record holder Clarence Munyai (19.69) having run faster.
It doesn’t mean he’s going to be raking in global titles, but it does prove he’s got the potential.
What else has he done?
In 2018, Adams set a personal best of 20.08 to win the national title in Pretoria, and five days later he clocked 20.01 at a Grand Prix meeting in Paarl.
His breakthrough season also included a 200m bronze medal at the 2018 African Championships in Asaba, which was won by compatriot Ncinci Titi, but his progress was stunted after he picked up a hamstring injury in 2019.
Having battled for the last few years, he made a comeback statement by opening his 2022 campaign with an impressive 20.28 in Potchefstroom in April, and while he went on to settle for fifth place in the 200m final at the national championships, he has been in superb form in the early stages of the international season.
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