Afrifa grew up in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, a stone’s throw from the Johan Cruijff Arena. “I’m basically a football guy,” he says.
He played for years in the youth team of SV Diemen and seemed to have a future on the football field. Yet, at the age of seventeen, he decided to take a different path. After ten years of football, he exchanged his football boots for spikes.
Talent was immediately visible
Afrifa ended up on the athletics track through a good friend. It soon became apparent that he had exceptional speed.
As a result, his development was very rapid. “It’s great to have played football before that,” says coach Guido Bonsen. “Sprinting is largely a talent.”
On the hunt for ten seconds
Afrifa’s personal record for the 100 meters is now 10.09 seconds.
This brings the magical limit of ten seconds closer and closer. For many sprinters, that time is considered an ultimate milestone.
Dream of a second Olympic Games
In addition to a time under ten seconds, Afrifa has another big goal.
In 2024 he was already at the Olympic Games in Paris. Now he is setting his sights on Los Angeles, where the next Games will be held in 2028. “I think what I’m experiencing is really cool,” he says. “I’m living my dream of being a top athlete.”
