Who is Adam Gemili? Records, net worth and Olympic performances

Over the past year, cricket, football, tennis, basketball, ice hockey, Formula One and several other sports have seen prominent teams and individuals take a knee to raise their voice against racial injuctice. Now, Tokyo Olympics 2020 could be the latest sporting event to witness an athlete take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The man who has promised his support to the BLM movement is sprinter Adam Gemili.

“For sure I would be happy to take a knee if I was successful at the Olympics and I had that opportunity,” Gemili has said.

Who is Adam Gemili?

Adam Gemili is a British track star.

Before he took the plunge into the world of athletics, Gemili dreamt of being a footballer. He was closely associated with a popular London-based football club.

Adam Gemili's Chelsea connection

At the age of 7, Adam Gemili joined Chelsea FC's youth academy. He spent eight years with Chelsea in pursuit of a career in football. During the process, he developed a close friendship with fellow Chelsea product Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

But Adam Gemili's football career was not to be. At the age of 15, he was released by the club. He then played for Dagenham & Redbridge for a short spell, but the youngster was quickly sent out on loan. He played 12 games in the Isthmian League for Thurrock in 2011. But football never came naturally to Adam Gemili. He decided to change his sport.

Adam Gemili switches to track

Adam Gemili's first breakthrough in athletics arrived when he was 17. He was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2011 European Athletics Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. Adam Gemili featured in the 100m and 4x100m relay and returned with two silvers, showing early promise as a sprinter to watch out for.

Adam Gemili's Olympic performances

A year later, Adam Gemili made his Olympic debut in front of his home crowd at London Olympics 2012. But the results were disappointing.

Adam Gemili finished third in the semifinals of the men's 100m, missing out on a place in the final. He had another shot at a medal in the 4x100m relay representing Great Britain. However, the team was disqualified in Heat 1.

Four years later at the Rio Games, Adam Gemili finished fourth in the men's 200m and fifth in the men's 4x100m relay.

At this month's Tokyo Olympics, Adam Gemili will target his first Olympic medal.

Adam Gemili's Records

Despite two disappointing Olympic appearances, Adam Gemili has some records to his credit.

At the 2014 European Athletics Championships in Zurich, Adam Gemili won two gold medals. In 2015, at the Birmingham Diamond League, Gemili finished the 100m sprint in under 10 seconds. He was the first British athlete to have achieved both feats.

After the Rio Games, Gamili found more success at the 2017 World Championships in London. Adam Gemili joined CJ Ujah, Danny Talbot and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake to clinch gold for Great Britain in the 4x100m relay.

WE ARE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!! No words to describe how I feel right now. Overwhelmed with the messages of support. Thank you all so much!🇬🇧🥇 pic.twitter.com/NDv3dtCkXT

— Adam Gemili (@Adam_Gemili) August 13, 2017

Despite his tremendous success at the junior level in the 100m event, Adam Gemili has yet to fulfill his potential on the Olympic stage.

According to Adam Gemili's own website, his personal best in 200m is 19.97s. His fastest 100m sprint stands at 9.97s.

Adam Gemili's net worth

Adam Gemili's net worth is estimated to be over $2 million.