Ghana’s campaign in the sprints at the ongoing Olympic Games Paris 2024 effectively crashed on Saturday when Benjamin
Azamati-Kweku and Abdul-Rasheed Saminu failed to secure slots for the finals which was eventually won by Noah Lyles of the USA.
Having chalked remarkable successes in the quarterfinals with second and third positions, respectively, Azamati and Saminu appeared poised to secure a historic final slots for Team Ghana.
Paired alongside the eventual winner, Lyles, and other top class athletes including Jamaica’s Seville Oblique and Britain’s Hinchliffe Emmanuel, Azamati was left with a tall order as he eyed qualificationfor the Men’s 100m finals.
In the end, Azamati clocked a time of 10.17 seconds to place ninth, a performance he described as his worst race for the season.
“Obviously it was not one of my best races this season, probably one of the worst, but I can’t complain looking back at what this season has been.
“I think it was good for me getting in there, but obviously I couldn’t put together a good race in the semi -final. Now it’s
still a learning process, the only way we can move forward is not to give up,” he told the media.
Jamaica’s Oblique Seville won with a time of 9.81 seconds, followed by the reigning world champion, Noah Lyles, finished in second place with a time of 9.83 seconds and Louie Hinchliffe in third with a time of 9.97 seconds.
Abdul-Rasheed Saminu also completed the semifinals in seventh position with a time of 10.05 seconds.
He competed alongside Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson who won the semifinal (Heat 3) in a time of 9.80 seconds ahead of former world champion, Fred Kerley,with a time of 9.83 seconds and South Africa’s Benjamin Richardson with a time of 9.95 seconds.
Despite not qualifying, Saminu would take consolation in beating Africa’s fastest sprint man, Ferdinand Omanyala, who finished the race in eighth position.
Prior to that, swimmers Harry Stacey and Joselle Mensah and female high jump prospect, Rose Amoaniwaa Yeboah, all exited the championship at the early stage.
Ghana’s last attempt on a medal would be in the 4x100m relay event where the team will compete from the semifinal stage by virtue of qualification from the Bahamas Relays championship.
BY ANDREW NORTEY
