- Saminu secured third place in the men's 200m
- Mary Boakye also fell short of a podium finish
- Ghana remains in the medal hunt
Ghanaian sprinters came close to adding to the country’s medal haul at the African Seniors Athletics Championships on Wednesday, but narrowly missed out on podium finishes in the 200m events.
Saminu Denied Bronze in Photo Finish Controversy
Abdul Rasheed Saminu had initially secured third place in the men’s 200m with a time of 20.66 seconds, according to the electronic timer. However, a last-minute adjustment based on a handwritten timer reading of 20.67 seconds bumped him down to fourth, handing the bronze medal to Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme. Liberia’s Joseph Fambulleh (20.25 seconds) and Zimbabwe’s Tapiwa Makarawu (20.51 seconds) claimed gold and silver, respectively.
Boakye Finishes Fourth in Women’s Race
Mary Boakye also fell short of a podium finish in the women’s 200m, clocking a time of 23.40 seconds for fourth place. Ivory Coast dominated the race with a 1-2 finish. Maca Gbai secured the gold medal in 22.84 seconds, followed by Maboundou Kone (22.99 seconds) with Malawi’s Asimenye Simwaka taking bronze in 23.05 seconds.
High Jump Disappointment
Ghana’s hopes in the field events were dashed as reigning African Games champion Cadman Evans Yamoah failed to clear the bar at 2.10 meters in the men’s high jump. Both Yamoah and his teammate Kennedy Ocansey exited the competition in the first round. Morocco’s Saad Hammouda, whom Yamoah had previously defeated, secured the gold medal with a jump of 2.15 meters.
Despite these setbacks, Ghana remains in the medal hunt, having already secured two gold medals and one bronze at the Championships.
