“Having a good support system around me, whether that be my coach, friends, my mom – make that stronger.” For Joseph Fahnbulleh, his mother has probably been the biggest influence as he becomes one of the rising stars in the track and field world. He has been a mainstay in the 200m sprint. Well, look at the numbers. He has 2 NCAA titles in the 200m event. He even won the 2024 African Athletics Championships 200m event. Is that it? Not quite.
The former Gator sprinter has made it to the finals of 4 consecutive international competitions (Tokyo and Paris Olympics, and the 2023 and 2024 World Championships). And now, he is trying to make the next big move, getting on the podium. He wants to do it, but not just for himself. He feels it would be a tribute to his mother, who has taught him so much. Well, today, we get to know this champion woman and how she has inspired Joseph Fahnbulleh.
Who is Joseph Fahnbulleh’s mother?
Charlotte Graham’s life in the USA started when she was 12. That’s because she had to leave her home in Liberia, which plunged into a civil war in 1989 that lasted for more than a decade. Thousands were killed and massacred; in such a condition, Graham had to leave and come to the US, where she would live with her grandmother. There, in Minnesota, Charlotte Graham would raise her son, Joseph Fahnbulleh, as a single parent.
“Growing up, it was just me and my mom,” Fahnbulleh said to World Athletics in September 2022. His mother used to work as a hospice nurse and even had to work two jobs to ensure her son was raised properly and with all the resources. “She loves what she does, but life as a nurse is tiring. That pushed me in high school to be like, ‘all right mom, I’m going to do well in my life so I can make sure that you are well in yours’,” The sprinter made a promise, which we can now say has been fulfilled.
Talking to Minnesota Sportsman reporter (MSR) in August 2021, Charlotte Graham said, “We’re proud of him (Joseph).” And why wouldn’t they be? 19-year-old Joseph Fahnbulleh had just finished 5th in the Tokyo Olympics 200m finals. And to be honest, she never doubted her son’s ability: “I’ve always told him he’s naturally talented.” However, she made sure the former Hopkins High Schooler learned that it was a gift and not to be taken in vain: “We should thank God for the gift that he has been given and not take it for granted, because it is a gift.”
She raised her son under divine guidance as a compass, and the Wayman AME Church family helped her to nurture Joseph Fahnbulleh with the right principles. “He’s been grounded in the church,” Graham had said in 2021. And she was so happy with how her son’s decision to represent Liberia at the international level has worked out so well. It was during the Tokyo Olympics that Fahnbulleh competed in the Liberian colors for the first time. Why? Just because of his mother. Talking to BBC back in October 2022, he revealed, “I ask her about Liberia when she was there and what her house was like. I give credit to my mum for instilling Liberian values and roots in me.”
Joseph Fahnbulleh is the first Liberian to qualify for the finals of an Olympic event. And this height he has been able to reach because his mother instilled the values of discipline, work ethic, and resilience into Joseph from a very young age. But not just sports, she ensured her son would also give equal importance to academics. In fact, that mindset influenced him to choose the University of Florida, where he did a course in educational sciences.
She has been a virtual shadow as Joseph traveled the world to chase his athletic dreams. He had never felt her absence, as her words and teachings had always been with him. In August 2021, the 200m specialist declared to the Minnesota Star Tribune, “Mom, I love you. And I got you. Just wait. All those nights working doubles, coming home tired, and having to wake up early the next day? I got you. Don’t worry.’’
Charlotte continues to be an influential figure in Joseph’s life, each and every day, celebrating his highs but also ensuring he stays humble and focused.
Charlotte’s influence on Joseph Fahnbulleh’s athletic career
Fahnbulleh’s mother is the sole reason behind his choosing to represent Liberia. “I just wanted to do this for my mum,” he had said to BBC in October 2022. And in turn, he had ended up putting Liberia “on the map”, as acknowledged by his former Hopkins teammate, Sam Leervig, to the Minnesota Star Tribune in August 2024.
Influenced by his mother, the Gator NCAA Champion wanted to showcase Liberia in a bright light in front of the world. Speaking to BBC Sport Africa in October 2022, he said, “I just want to give exposure to Liberia. I would like people to know Liberia as a strong, independent country.” As he capped off another strong showing in the Paris Olympics, his words from 2022 still reverberate his drive for Liberia: “I’m just so proud to be Liberian. We have really changed in the past decade.”
But the zeal that is in him majorly comes from his love for his mother and the impact she has had while raising him. Her nurturing support remained unchanged over the years. So, even when a 21-year-old Fahnbulleh broke down in tears after coming fourth in the 2023 World Athletics Championships 200m, she said exactly what her son needed to hear: “She was like: ‘It doesn’t matter if you got fourth or not. I just wanted to see you run – and you did well.’”
He had seen his mother toil to make available whatever her growing son needed, be it books, kits, spikes, etc. He is indebted to her. So, every time he takes the block, he has a ritual. Sharing with Olympics.com in August 2024, he said, “I say, ‘I love you, Mum’ before I get into the blocks … When your mum has done so much, when you’re from a single-parent household, you just learn to understand what she’s gone through in life.”
His mother gave him something very precious before the World Athletics Championships finals in 2022 that stays with him all the time – a chain necklace with a cross. He always had the talent. All he needed was faith and to feel what she believed in. In a way, the necklace is a spiritual connection between the mother and son through divinity.
Maybe it helped Joseph Fahnbulleh remember his mother’s words to him, especially some very particular words from Psalm 23, which she often reads to him. The sprinter had the same words of advice for his fellow Liberian people during the Paris Olympics. To not be afraid and run away from pain. Because sometimes, through pain is the path to success. Rather, focus on things that are still good. But don’t turn away from your goal.
His mother’s spiritual guidance has helped him revel in every championship. Joseph Fahnbulleh, from his own end, has tried his best to honor his mother’s heritage.
Joseph Fahnbulleh’s tribute to his mother
Every time he runs on the track, Joseph Fahnbulleh has only had one motivation – to do right by his people. In an interview with Citius Mag on June 14, 2022, Joseph emphasized exactly that: “I do it for my family and friends because they’ve been there since Day 1. It really means the world seeing them and saying thank you.” And no one deserves a bigger appreciation than his mother.
“My mom, Charlotte Graham, is my biggest fan and is at every meet,” Fahnbulleh said to MileSplit in July 2018. And what can he do to honor her? Fahnbulleh told MSR after the Tokyo Olympics, “My mom has worked so much for me to get me here. It’s been a long fight and knowing that I’m one step closer to making her happy. It means a lot, so I will continue to work hard and work my butt off.”
And he keeps fighting at his level best. He knows what the right present for her mother would be. A World Championship Gold. He disclosed to BBC in October 2022, “There will come to a point where I’ve done it for her. And then I can do things for myself.” He keeps turning up every day at the gym. To better himself, to be more perfect. Every competition is a way to repay his mother. And with the inaugural Grand Slam Track up next, the Liberian has the chance to accomplish his precious dream.
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