Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati and Abdul Rasheed Saminu missed out on a place in the final of the men’s 100m at the ongoing Olympic Games in Paris.
The duo clocked 10.17s and 10.05s in their respective semi-final heats on Sunday, which was not enough to secure a place in the final later tonight.
Azamati crossed the finish line in ninth place in a contest won by Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, while world champion Noah Lyles came second.
Abdul Rasheed Saminu finished seventh in his semi-final with 10.05s, outpacing Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, who ended the race in eighth.
His race was won by Kishane Thompson of Jamaica, who crossed the finish line at 9.80s, with Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Fred Kerley in second place.
Ghana has not made an Olympic sprint final since Athens 2004 when Aziz Zakari reached the final.
The men’s 100m final will start at 7:50 PM Ghana time. It will feature three athletes from the USA: Kenny Bednarek (10.87s), Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Fred Kerley (9.84s), and world champion Noah Lyles (9.81s).
Jamaica’s Oblique Seville (9.81s) and Kishane Thompson (9.77s), who both won their semi-final heats, will be seeking to prevent an American clean sweep of the podium places.
Defending champion Marcell Jacobs will also compete, aiming to protect his crown won four years ago, with Africa’s only medalist at the World Championships, Letsile Tebogo, among the potential winners.
