Published: July 28, 2025
MONROVIA — Emmanuel Matadi, Liberia’s most accomplished sprinter of the modern era, has announced his retirement from international competition, ending a career that lasted nearly a decade and earned global recognition for the Liberian flag.
Matadi, 34, announced in a reflective Independence Day post on July 26, sharing a photo from the 2024 Paris Olympics — his final international appearance.
“Time stamp on the last run. Happy Independence Day, Liberia — it was a pleasure representing the flag,” he wrote on social media.
The veteran sprinter competed in the men’s 100-meter semifinals in Paris, finishing eighth in his heat. His final international time was recorded as 20:09.12.
Matadi’s breakthrough came at the 2016 African Championships, where he captured bronze in the 200 meters. Later that year, he made his Olympic debut at the Rio Games, competing in both the 100m and 200m sprints and serving as Liberia’s flag bearer during the Parade of Nations.
In Rio, he ran 10.31 seconds in the first round of the 100m, finishing 43rd overall, and recorded 20.49 seconds in the 200m to place 30th. He competed again at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, improving slightly with a 10.25-second run in the 100m, finishing 35th.
Born in Liberia and raised in the United States, Matadi attended Johnson Senior High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he won the state championship in the 100 meters in 2009. He later competed for the University of Louisville and Minnesota State University, Mankato, claiming NCAA Division II national titles in both the 100m and 200m.
Although his international medal count was modest, Matadi’s consistency and longevity helped put Liberia on the global athletics map — often as the nation’s only representative on the world stage.
Off the track, Matadi has increasingly turned toward philanthropy. Through his nonprofit, he promotes youth empowerment across Africa by using athletics as a tool for development. In recent years, he has traveled to Botswana to host clinics and encourage pan-African collaboration in sport. His programs focus on nurturing talent, though no direct initiatives have yet been reported in East Africa.
As he hangs up his spikes, Matadi leaves behind more than race times — he leaves a legacy of pride, resilience, and quiet leadership. For many young Liberians, he symbolized what it meant to carry the flag with dignity, even when running alone.
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