Eddie Osei-Nketia to compete for Australia after allegiance switch from New Zealand

Eddie Osei-Nketia will now compete for Australia. Photo / Photosport

New Zealand’s fastest man over 100m will no longer compete in a black singlet.

Having not run for New Zealand in more than three years, Eddie Osei-Nketia has completed his transfer of allegiance and will now compete for Australia.

Osei-Nketia, 24, last represented New Zealand at the World Athletics Championships in the United States in 2022. At the same event, he broke the New Zealand 100m record with a time of 10.08s – bettering the previous mark set by his father, Gus, by 0.03s.

Australian Athletics confirmed the move this morning.

“He has been lighting up Australian tracks for years, but Edward Osei-Nketia is now officially eligible to represent Australia on the world stage, successfully completing his transfer of allegiance from New Zealand.

“The 10.08-second man joins the nation’s rising sprinting stocks. This is going to be fun.”

Osei-Nketia, who was born in New Zealand but moved to Australia as a child, has represented New Zealand on several international stages, including the World Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019 and in Eugene, Oregon, in 2022.

In 2019, he won the Australian All Schools 100m title, representing St Edmund’s College, Canberra, before going on to claim the Australian U20 title while representing Canberra in 2019. It was later that year that he declared his allegiance to New Zealand, before the Oceania Championships.

After three years competing for New Zealand, missing out on selection for both the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, he made the decision to walk away from the track to join the University of Hawaii on an American football scholarship.

In the past 12 months, however, he has returned to athletics with the University of Southern California.

In a statement, Athletics New Zealand acknowledged Osei-Nketia’s decision.

“With Eddie’s immediate family, including his younger brother Augustine, based in Australia, Athletics New Zealand respects his decision to continue his athletic career across the Tasman.

“We wish Eddie all the very best in this next chapter and look forward to seeing him continue to thrive in the sport of athletics. Sprinting in Oceania has never been stronger and we celebrate the depth and talent continuing to emerge across the region.”