Ireland’s new fastest man Benji Richardson: ‘I could be more than just a good athlete, I could be great’

If Benji Richardson is somehow nervous about his first interview with an Irish newspaper, it’s not at all evident. What does become clear, however, is that his Irishness means a lot to him, as he says his desire to represent the country of his birth preceded anything he achieved for South Africa on the world sprinting stage.

Last November, World Athletics ratified his transfer of allegiance from South Africa to Ireland and Richardson knows there may be misconceptions and prejudice around that. Especially given he won three sprint medals for South Africa at the World Under-20 Championships before running 9.86 seconds for the 100 metres in 2024 when still only 20.

He missed out on an Olympic final in Paris by one place while also running 19.99 seconds for the 200m. That sort of raw, absolute talent isn’t often seen in an athlete of any nationality.

By that stage he was being touted as South Africa’s big Olympic medal hope for Los Angeles 2028. Yet Richardson was still harbouring thoughts of running for Ireland. Now that prospect is set to become reality, the 22-year-old is keen to get his story across.

“It honestly started before I ever represented South Africa,” he explains. “Because I was born in Ireland, it was always my goal, something I wanted to do. I’ve never had a problem with South Africa, or want to take it out on them by moving to Ireland. It was never about that.

“It was an interest of mine, to run for a country I’ve always wanted to run for. And it aligns with what I want to do as an athlete. A happy person runs faster. A more relaxed person runs faster. In terms of my career, I feel like making this decision is only going to elevate it. Because I’ll be more comfortable, happier, and I’ll run faster.”

Richardson is speaking from Potchefstroom the day after he finished second in the 100m at the South African Championships, having run 10.08 in the semi-final to equal the Irish record set by Israel Olatunde last year. Under World Athletics transfer rules, there is a standard three-year waiting period from when he last competed for South Africa, at the Paris Olympics, which means he won’t be eligible to run for Ireland on the international stage until August 2027. Just in time for the World Championships in Beijing a month later.

“I don’t mind waiting my turn,” he says. “I’ll take it as it comes, and by the 2027 World Championships I can set a new national record in the Irish colours. I’d like everything to be right. I’m not trying to force anything. I’m just trying to introduce myself slowly into Irish athletics. I’m not in a rush.”

Richardson was born in December 2003 in Waterford, where his mother Evelyn was living and working. Her family originally moved from Ghana to South Africa in 1987 and she’d come to Ireland to further her own career opportunities.

Within a few months of his birth, it was decided Richardson would be adopted and raised by his grandparents Osam and Beatrice back in Mbombela, South Africa, and it was then he became a South African citizen. Being born in Ireland also entitled him to Irish citizenship (before that law changed in 2005), so he’s had that since the start. If anything, he’s always considered South Africa his adopted country.

“Because my mum had me at a young age, was still trying to build a life, I didn’t stay there for long, maybe three or four months. Then I was moved to South Africa to live with my grandparents and have been there since. Because I was born there [in Ireland], that’s how I acquired my Irish passport, and I’m glad I have it.”

His mother now lives in London, working as a nurse, and he also has an aunt and uncle living in Cork.

“My mother has always been my number one supporter, and my grandma, my grandfather. They didn’t think I’d make it this far, they wanted me to do my studies first. But for me, it’s always been my athletics.”

It was only after his breakthrough season in 2021, when at age 17 Richardson improved his 100m best from 10.56 to 10.17, that his country of representation became any issue. He says he first reached out to Athletics Ireland while his qualification was pending for the World Under-20 Championships in Nairobi. For whatever reason, that message seems to have gone astray.

“I sent an email to the Irish federation, telling them I was born there, would like to represent them. But I sent it to the wrong person, it got overlooked. And I thought, since I couldn’t get an answer in time, and the selection was happening for the World juniors, I had to make a decision.

“I had no agent back then, no one to help me, I was still in school. When I got no message back, I just decided I have to run for a country, because I was in very good shape. And I couldn’t skip it. So I ran for South Africa.”

His performances in Nairobi in 2021 certainly put him on the world map, Richardson winning the silver medal in the 100m, before anchoring the South African team to a gold medal and Under-20 world record in the 4x100m relay.

The following season he won bronze at the 2022 World Under-20 Championships in Colombia. That gold medal was won by another rising star, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo. Two years later in Paris, Tebogo won the Olympic 200m.

By then, Richardson had moved from Mbombela to Pretoria to attend TuksSport High School on a scholarship, linking up with his coach Paul Gorries. He’s been with Gorries since, his natural progression aided by a timely growth spurt and improvements in the training environment.

Genetically, he’s clearly well served, but he’s not entirely sure who to credit for his speed.

“When it comes to my family, it makes no sense to me why I’m good at athletics. My grandfather is a professor, my grandma was a schoolteacher, so everyone was always very academic around me. Never in sports.

“I just started running in primary school. I was always fast in my province, just never very good in South Africa. But where I started, there was only a grass track.

“At 17, after I moved to Tuks, things started to change. There was a tartan track, I got into the gym a bit, got my coach, who I still have. I’d also played rugby and cricket. But whatever I did, it was always because of my speed, so everything linked back to track.

“In my new school, you had to stick to one sport. I always loved athletics, and when it all started to fall together, I thought I could actually do athletics as a career.”

In 2023, his first year out of the under-20 ranks, he qualified for the World Championships in Budapest, prompting further thoughts about if or when he could represent Ireland.

“The opportunity presented itself again in 2023, but I was afraid to switch then, because of the years I might miss. Still, I always wanted to do it. Then it came to a realisation, when I talked with my coach, and my agent, the perfect time to do it was between the Paris Olympics and the 2027 World Championships. In that three-year gap, I would miss one World Champs, so it made the most sense, to start the transfer during that time.

“Obviously the public, if they don’t know athletics, might have a few feelings here and there. But I was at the South African championships this week, all the athletes were happy for me, no bad feelings. Everyone is okay with it, there was no falling out. It’s just a new environment that I’m very happy about.”

Athletics Ireland has a strict policy on the transfer of athletes from another country in that the request must come from the athlete first. In Richardson’s case, the process was made significantly easier by the fact he already held an Irish passport.

“We don’t go out and recruit any athletes from another country,” says Paul McNamara, high-performance manager with Athletics Ireland. “But if an Irish citizen wants to represent Ireland, that can be a positive for us. And Benji was a surprise, being honest, given his profile, how fast he’s run.

“From our end, he first talked about coming over to us prior to the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. He went ahead and represented South Africa at those championships, then we had a similar conversation post-Budapest.

“But again, he represented South Africa in Paris in 2024. So we thought it was pretty much dead in the water. But no, he was still very keen to represent us. When we put in the documentation to World Athletics, it was very, very straightforward. He was an Irish citizen, an Irish passport holder, they had no issues. So we were pleasantly surprised when it came back in time for the 2027 World Championships, and well in advance of LA.”

There is now an IRL next to his name every time Richardson races, and Athletics Ireland still need to decide whether they’ll ratify his times this summer for Irish record purposes. It’s their call. Again, Richardson is perfectly happy to wait.

He’s equally excited about taking up the baton with the Irish men’s sprint relay team.

“I know Israel Olatunde, we follow each other in Instagram. Israel is getting faster, Bori Akinola is getting faster, and hopefully with the addition of someone else, we could contend for a World Championship final. Not just qualify, anything can happen. The relay is a crazy thing.”

[ Bori Akinola: ‘Running under 10 seconds, it could happen this summer’Opens in new window ]

When racing in Europe this summer, he also hopes to face Olatunde and Akinola at the National Championships in July.

“If I get the opportunity, which I hope I do, I’ll 100 per cent be there. It will be a good way to introduce myself to the fans before I can actually represent them next year. So I can’t wait to show my face, introduce myself. And hopefully, get liked and accepted by the people.”

Currently in his final year at the University of Pretoria, Richardson intends to go full-time this summer to maximise his potential at the LA Olympics. He has complete faith in his coach.

“He [Paul Gorries] knows me since 17, he’s always got me right, for the right reasons, at the right time. I’ve never really rushed. Even a bad year, which I consider was last year, was my most consistent year.

“I do have a good mindset. For me, I’m never really in front, at the beginning, so the only problem is trying to force my running. This year, I’ve got a cooler head, I’m learning how to deal with pressure a bit more, got better with sticking at my race strategy.”

In 2024, he also beat Wayde van Niekerk to the South African 200m title. He now considers Van Niekerk, who won the Olympic 400m title in Rio in a world record time, as one of his closest mentors.

“I was inspired by Usain Bolt, as a child, quite obviously. But Wayde is the person I look up to. Not just as a role model, but in terms of personality, and what he’s accomplished.

“The Paris Olympics were eye-opening for me. Especially with how close I came to making the final. I’ve got that experience, now it’s about getting more consistent, and I feel I can contend with the rest of the world, be in the mix.

“I’ll be at my peak in LA, hopefully I can come away with a medal. The first Olympics was for experience, the second will be to get my name out there. I’m just taking my time, for now, but I truly believe I could be more than just a good athlete, I could be great.”

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