Why is it every time mainstream media writes about accountants they just have to drag the stereotypes into it? Across the pond publication Evening Standard didn’t even try to hide it when writing up World Athletics Championships 100m badass Eugene Amo-Dadzie, ‘boring’ appears in the lede. It’s still a charming story. Everyone, meet the world’s fastest accountant.
Eugene Amo-Dadzie has pledged to prove accountants aren’t boring after the world’s fastest number cruncher booked his place in the semi-finals of the 100metres at the World Athletics Championships.
Amo-Dadzie, a latecomer to the sport who has had to take annual leave from his job, was second in his heat while Zharnel Hughes won his and the third Brit in action, Reece Prescod, also made it through to the semis.
The 31-year-old Amo-Dadzie first learned he was speedy by running for the bus and has been swarmed by messages of congratulations from his fellow accountants, although no new job offers as yet.
“I’ve had a lot of support from all the different accountant bodies,” he said. “They’re like ‘yo, you’re putting accountants on the map’.
“We’re not just these boring stiff squares sat at the office typing away. We’ve got a bit of something about us you know. There’s probably accountants out there who are probably wrestlers, F1 drivers, who knows. I was sat in an office so who knows?”
Well, we know of some. Among the thrill-seeking accountants are the 19 current and former professionals on Team Deloitte hoping to make it the Paris 2024 Olympics and the four consultants and Crowe tax staffer who competed at the 2020 summer games in Tokyo. And let’s not forget the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNBF) professional who would get strange looks from his colleagues at Deloitte as he chowed down on eight different pre-packaged meals per day to keep his metabolism going. Couldn’t find an accountant F1 driver (the results are dominated by stories of Formula 1 tax avoidance) but we did find an ancient story about a Withum partner who raced stock cars in her free time.
But let’s get back to Eugene, a man who is as cool and collected as he is fast. Speaking to The Guardian prior to his stellar performance in the semi-finals, he talks about how difficult it is to fit training in when you’ve got a number-crunching day job:
But unlike most British athletes at these world championships, Amo-Dadzie still has to fit training around working a full 9-5 job – and use annual leave to compete in Budapest. “I work for a subsidiary of Berkeley Group, St George plc. They have been phenomenal, honestly. I’m always on top of my workload, I never slip behind. But if I need to jet off to somewhere in Europe to race at short notice, they are very accommodating of it all.
“I won’t lie and say that it doesn’t get tough at times, and sometimes you do feel like you are stretched quite thin, but my missus is incredible.”
“It’s really cool, I’m embracing all of it,” he said of being recognized in the streets now that he’s a big deal on the athletic circuit. “It’s very, very different but I’m keeping my feet on the ground.” We’re rooting for you, bro!
Here he is speaking to Athletics Weekly in June:
