Eugene Amo-Dadzie has pledged to prove accountants aren’t boring after the world’s fastest number cruncher booked his place in the semi-finals of the 100metres at the World Athletics Championships.
Amo-Dadzie, a latecomer to the sport who has had to take annual leave from his job, was second in his heat while Zharnel Hughes won his and the third Brit in action, Reece Prescod, also made it through to the semis.
The 31-year-old Amo-Dadzie first learned he was speedy by running for the bus and has been swarmed by messages of congratulations from his fellow accountants, although no new job offers as yet.
“I’ve had a lot of support from all the different accountant bodies,” he said. “They’re like ‘yo, you’re putting accountants on the map’.
“We’re not just these boring stiff squares sat at the office typing away. We’ve got a bit of something about us you know. There’s probably accountants out there who are probably wrestlers, F1 drivers, who knows. I was sat in an office so who knows?”
Amo-Dadzie raised eyebrows when he became the latest British sprinter to run sub-10seconds this season and looked at ease in his heat as he eased up well before the line to clock a time of 10.10s.
He admitted he had aspirations to make the final on Sunday night but said: “Me being here is already a victory for me so anything that happens is kind of a bonus.”
The Rainham-born athlete has relished the tag bestowed upon him since emerging on the scene this season.
He added: “It was a nice touch for the world’s fastest accountant. You didn’t have to do that. But I’m on the world stage. I say to people who don’t really know track and field, I’m at the World Cup of athletics and they’re like ‘ok’.
“For me, that’s incredible because this is beyond a dream. I didn’t grow up dreaming to do this but, by the grace of God, I found myself doing this.”
Amo-Dadzie was born to Ghanaian parents in United Kingdom and began his career as an athlete at the age of 26.
-Thestandard