“Giving 8.55”;”Paris, brace yourself for Liberian lightening” - Fans react to Joseph Fahnbulleh's incredible anchor leg comeback at the World Relays

Liberia made history by qualifying for the 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympics, courtesy of Joseph Fahnbulleh. The sprinter clocked an incredible anchor leg at the World Relays, leaving fans stunned by his athletic prowess.

Going into the World Relays, Liberia put up an impressive performance in their opening heat but missed out on a place in the finals and an Olympic berth. The team, consisting of Fanbullah, Akeem Sirleaf, Emmanuel Matadi, and Jabez Reeves clocked a respectable 39.07 to finish fourth.

However, they had another chance to make it to the Games, by finishing in the top two of their repechage rounds on the last day of the World Relays. For their second heat, Joseph Fahnbulleh and co. were placed alongside the likes of Poland, Germany, and Switzerland.

As the end of the race approached, a slow baton pass meant that Liberia was behind Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, and Poland going into the last leg. However, Fahnbulleh pulled off a comeback for the ages, managing to climb into second place to ensure that the nation makes it to its first-ever 4x100m relay at the Olympics.

Reacting to the Olympian's extraordinary feat, fans on X (formerly Twitter) were left stunned. One estimated Fahnbulleh's speed, writing:

“Giving 8.55”

Another fan amazed by the sprinter wrote,

“Witnessing Joseph Fahnbulleh sprint into Liberia's history with that electrifying anchor leg..truly awe-inspiring! 🚀🇱🇷 Paris, brace yourself for Liberian lightning this summer! 🌟”

One track and field enthusiast was sure that the Liberian breached the 9-second mark,

“Definitely sub-9,” they wrote.

A few fans were disappointed that World Athletics didn't give the times for Liberia’s 4x100m splits.

“4x100m "splits" available for every heat except Liberia's. Somebody thinks we can't handle learning exactly how fast Joseph Fahnbulleh was running #WorldRelays,” one X user wrote.

“I checked back like 5 x’s already. We need that split!,” another chimed in.

“Time keepers just don't know what to do, afta dem clock Fanbulleh inna 6.2. 🥸,” one netizen added.

Joseph Fahnbulleh reacts to qualifying for the Paris Olympics

With Joseph Fahnbulleh’s incredible performance at the 2024 Bahamas World Relays, Liberia has qualified for the 4x100m relay at the Olympics for the first time.

Reacting to his feat, the sprinter took to Instagram to express his gratitude and happiness at what he had accomplished. Sharing snaps from the competition and a video of his final leg, Fahnbulleh wrote,

“Momma we're going to Paris! Grateful for the opportunity to run for my country at the highest level. Doing this for my country is a feeling like no other. I do it for y'all and the people who follow suit. #belikebez.”

Joseph Fahnbulleh also clocked a 20.06 in the 200m at the Percy Beard Track, Gainesville, in April 2024 while competing at the Pepsi Florida Relays. This is under the Olympic qualification mark of 20.16.

The sprinter made his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games where he became the first Liberian athlete to make it to the Olympic finals.