by Stuart Weir
This is a fun interview by Stuart Weir, RBR Senior Writer for Europe, with Eugene Amo Dadzie, the world’s fastest accountant!
The fastest Accountant in the world, Eugene Amo Dadzie
Eugene Amo Dadzie’s Entry in the British website “power of 10” is interesting, to say the least. There are records of him running in 2006 in the under 15 category. He next appears 12 years later, age 26 running 4 indoor races. In 2019 he ran a PR of 10.55. By 2021 he was running four 100 meter races with a PR of 10.20. Still nothing to write home about.
I caught up with Eugene as he was about go to the European Teams Champs – where he won the 100m – and asked him to reflect on how he got from being a 25 year-old who had not run since he was a teenager to running sub 10. “If I am honest with you”, he told me, “I am a journey guy, I am all about the process; in everything I try, I just want to be as good as I can get. So for me it was just every day just trying to be better. I was a great fan of the sport so I spent years watching the great athletes. So it was so difficult to be able to comprehend that I would one day run under that magic 10 second barrier. When I started my track journey back in 2019 season I didn’t really think I would be sitting here representing my country – I think this is my fifth GB vest. “
“Going back to the journey, when I ran the 10.5 in 2019, I was just like ‘OK, cool, like can I run 10.4 and then when I ran 10.4 , can I run 10.3?’ I guess the first time I really thought sub 10 running was possible was in 2022 August when I ran 10.05 when I thought: ‘OK, we are not that far away but even then it was like you know focusing on my process but 10.05 showed that was possible. So I was hoping and praying that the times could keep tumbling”. He ran 9.93 in June 2023.
So where did the fastest accountant in the world tag come from? It came from Eugene himself. He told me he wanted to control the narrative, to tell his own story, to build his own brand: “I’m a runner and I’m an accountant so I can be the world’s fastest accountant. So that is where it came from”. Recognition came in Budapest, at the 2023 World Championships: when they came to my lane, the stadium announcer introduced me as the ‘world’s fastest accountant’ and that was really cool”.
When I asked him for the highlight of his journey and achievements so far, it was not sub 10, GB selection or running in the World Championships that he talked about – it was accountancy!
“I’m a chartered accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales. The response that I have had from my industry and from other Chartered Accountants has been unbelievable. I’ve had a pleasure of being invited to the annual dinner for the last couple of years that I just get so much love from my profession. It’s really nice being recognised in that way because what I’m doing this has nothing to do with accounting but I guess they’re looking at it like an extraordinary story of a 9-to-5er who has done to this great thing in sport so that’s definitely one highlight. I was invited by a company to a big conference in Texas to be a keynote speaker at the end of their four day conference with 700 people.
“I am a very, very proud chartered accountant. I love the fact I was able to go out there having passed all the exams qualified I’m very proud of having done that . So to be able to do something different and achieve in that as well. It definitely warms my heart to be able to show people that there different ways to do things”.
The biggest challenge came when Eugene was offered funding to become a full time athlete. That was exciting but the prospect of giving up his regular income as an accountant made it scary. “I’m cautious and very measured in how I respond to things, I can be a little bit practical and I like to plan. A career as an accountant lends itself quite well to my natural personality type. The idea of stepping out into the completely unknown world where, when you’re hot you’re running fast you get money and amazing deals but when you’re injured or running badly those things are not really there. I have a wife and two children and a life based on this steady income and we know it is coming at the end of the month. That made it difficult and in the same time it was really easy in the sense knowing I couldn’t continue to deny it and lie to myself because the passion for athletics has always been there with me. In that sense I was following my heart and in my spirit I felt it was right to go full-time in athletics”.
PS As Tim Hutchings said recently in commentary: “The fastest accountant in the world? How does he know?”
