By Catherine Laroche

Edmond Yeboah may seem like any other University of Louisville freshman coming into a new school and adjusting to college life.

However, Yeboah’s skills and abilities on the track put him on a completely different level.

In the short time that Yeboah has been a part of the U of L track and field team, he’s already set a school record in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.8. Yeboah broke the same record at the Big East Indoor Championships by .01 seconds.

“We knew, based on his times as a high school athlete, that he could make an immediate impact on our team and in our record books,” Ron Mann, U of L track and field head coach, said. “I truly believe his best times and his greatest success is still ahead of him and he should have a great chance at writing and rewriting a lot of the sprint records at the University of Louisville.”

While things are going well for Yeboah on the track, he’s still trying to adjust to living in Kentucky. He is West African, but spent his entire life in Sweden before moving to Louisville. He said growing up in Uppland, Vasby, Sweden is much different from living in the United States. The social and school systems are two of the biggest differences that he’s trying to adjust to.

Like most first-year students, Yeboah is also adjusting to college and being independent.

“It’s been very tough,” Yeboah said. “It’s been a very big transition, because I came straight from high school and I’ve always lived with my parents. I have work, practice and school. Everything can be overwhelming sometimes.”

However, Yeboah said his teammates have helped make his transition smoother by providing him with plenty of information, advice and directions.

Yeboah is no stranger when it comes to transitioning to change.

Before Yeboah began his career in sprinting, he was very involved in soccer. It was his teacher from intermediate school who convinced him to take on track. She was impressed by a track competition he had won and knew that he had a bright future on the track.

By the age of 13, Yeboah was competing in several track competitions and began getting serious in the sport.

“It was nice winning competitions and I liked the fact that it was more of an individual sport,” Yeboah said. “Whereas, in soccer you have to depend on others. It’s more about taking responsibility for yourself.”

Mann is certainly not complaining about Yeboah’s decision in switching sports.

“Edmund is a very talented sprinter with a great attitude and desire to succeed,” Mann said. “In just a couple of months, he’s been a great addition to our program and he’s only going to get faster as he gets more comfortable.”

Out of all the places in the world, Yeboah chose to continue his education and track career at U of L. All it took to sway his decision was a little research, contacting U of L and interest from the coaching staff. Interested in business, he was highly impressed with his research results on the business school.

“After doing research, I realized that it was a good school with a good team,” Yeboah said.

Although Yeboah has already accomplished a lot in a limited time, he hopes to continue to improve himself and the U of L track program.

Ultimately, he hopes to one day compete for Sweden in representation of his home country.

“He’s already made a contribution to our program with a second-place finish in the Big East [Indoor Championships] and I expect those kinds of results to continue,” Mann said. “And he’s the kind of athlete that should help our program immediately in our continued pursuit to be a regional power and strong national representative.”