Eddie Osei-Nketia
Australian and New Zealand sprinter (born 2001)
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Edward Osei-Nketia (born 8 May 2001) is a sprinter who has represented New Zealand and Australia internationally. Heholds the Australian national all-conditions 100m record with a time of 9.74 seconds with a tailwind of 5.56 metres per second[1] which broke his own previous record of 9.84 seconds from a month earlier.[2]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Edward Osei-Nketia | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 8 May 2001 Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||
| Relative | Gus Nketia (father) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
Events | 100m, 200m | ||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Gus Nketia Gary Henley-Smith | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
National finals |
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| Personal bests | 100m – 10.08 (2022) 200m – 20.76 | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on 2 April 2026 | |||||||||||||||
Early life
Osei-Nketia was born in Auckland, New Zealand to parents of Ghanaian descent.[3] His father, Gus Nketia, is a former New Zealand national 100m record holder; a record that Eddie broke in 2022.[4] Eddie initially grew up in the Whangaparāoa Peninsula until he relocated with his family to Canberra, Australia in 2010 at the age of nine for better sporting and educational opportunities.[5] While in Canberra, he attended St Edmund's College where he played rugby union along with competing in athletics events.[6] As a teenager, he represented the ACT at several Australian national junior athletics championship events.[7] In early 2019, at the age of 17, Osei-Nketia moved back to New Zealand to live in Wellington and finish his secondary schooling commitments at Scots College.[8]
As a dual citizen, Osei-Nketia initially represented New Zealand in international competitions and won the 100m Australian national title at 18 years old in 2019.[9] After Osei-Nketia was controversially left out of the New Zealand's Olympic and Commonwealth Games national teams in 2021 and 2022, he decided to cease representing New Zealand in international competitions.[10] He briefly pursued an American football career as a wide receiver at the University of Hawaii before accepting a track scholarship at University of Southern California and officially switched back to represent Australia in international competitions in December 2025.[11] His younger brother, Augustine Nketia Junior, is also a sprinter who competes internationally for Australia.[12]
Athletics career
In June 2019, Osei-Nketia won the 100 m at the Oceania Championships in Townsville.
On 28 September 2019, Osei-Nketia came fifth in his heat of the first round of the 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar with a time of 10.24s, missing out on a semi-final berth by 0.01s.[13] Osei-Nketia won the 2019 Australian Athletics Championships 100m in 10.22 after running a personal best of 10.19 in the semi-final.[14]
On 27 March 2021 he ran 10.12 in Brisbane, ranking him second on the New Zealand all-time list, 0.01 sec behind the National Record set by his father, Gus Nketia, in 1994,[15] qualifying him by ranking for the 2020 Summer Olympics, but he was not nominated.[16]
Osei-Nketia broke his father's NZ 100m record in finishing second in the 7th heat of the 100m 2022 World Athletics Championships in 10.08 seconds (−0.3 m/s) on 15 July 2022.[17]
Osei-Nketia transferred his allegiance to Australia on 4 December 2025[18] and was subsequently named in the Australian team for the 2026 World Athletics Relays[19] (though he did not attend due to other commitments).
In April 2026, he broke the Australian all-conditions 100m record previously held by Patrick Johnson by running a time of 9.84 seconds (+2.8w) during the 2026 Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California, United States.[20][21] He further improved that record running 9.74 (+5.6w) at the Big Ten NCAA Division I athletic conference on 17 May 2026.
Personal bests
| Event | Time (s) | Wind (m/s) | Location | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 metres indoor | 6.54 | N/a | Albuquerque, USA | 7 Feb 2026 | |
| 100 metres | 10.08 | (−0.3 m/s) | Eugene, OR, USA | 15 July 2022 | |
| 100 metresW | 9.74 | (+5.6 m/s) | Lincoln, IL, USA | 17 May 2026 | [22] |
| 200 metres | 20.24 | (+1.2 m/s) | College Station, Texas, USA | 30 May 2025 | |
| 200 metresW | 20.03 | (+7.5 m/s) | Lincoln, IL, USA | 17 May 2026 | [23] |