Ghana’s athletics team is gaining momentum for the Paris 2024 Olympics with the qualification of Benjamin Azamati and Abdul-Rasheed Saminu in the men’s 100m sprint.
Both athletes secured their spots through the World Athletics Ranking System after the qualification period closed on June 30th.
Second Olympics for Azamati
This is a familiar stage for 26-year-old Azamati, who previously competed in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. This time around, he’ll be joined by 22-year-old Saminu, who’s making his Olympic debut.
Double Duty for Saminu
Saminu isn’t just competing in the 100m. He also qualified for the 200m sprint by achieving the entry standard time. This means both athletes will be busy during the Games.
How They Ranked In
There are only 56 spots available in the men’s 100m at the Olympics. 30 athletes qualify by running a time of 10.00 seconds or faster (the entry standard). However, a country can only send a maximum of 3 athletes per event. So, if more than 3 runners from a country achieve the standard time, only the top 3 from that nation qualify.
The remaining 26 spots are filled by the next highest-ranked 100m runners in the world, excluding those who already qualified through the entry standard and those exceeding the 3-athlete limit per country. This is where Azamati (ranked 39th) and Saminu (ranked 54th) secured their spots.
Ghana’s Olympic Track and Field Team
Azamati and Saminu join high jumper Rose Yeboah as the three Ghanaians competing in individual track and field events at the Paris Olympics. The track and field program runs from August 1st to 11th, with the men’s 100m taking place on Saturday, August 3rd.
This is great news for Ghanaian athletics, and all eyes will be on these talented sprinters as they compete for glory in Paris!
