No Ghanaian athlete has yet qualified for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris later this year.
Despite a seemingly successful 2023 African Games for Team Ghana, none of the performances at Accra met the required standards for Olympic qualification in track and field events.
Joseph Paul Amoah, who won gold in the men’s 200m event at the Games with a time of 20.70 seconds, fell short of the accepted qualifying time of 20.16 seconds. Amoah’s personal best in the 200m is 20.08 seconds, and he will need to replicate that form to qualify for the Olympics.
In the high jump, Ghana claimed double gold medals in the men’s and women’s divisions, with Cadman Yamoah clearing a height of 2.23m and Rose Amoanima Yeboah clearing 1.90m. However, the Olympic qualifying heights for the high jump are 2.33m for men and 1.97m for women.
Benjamin Azamati, Ghana’s fastest man, will also need to improve his performance to qualify for the Olympics. Despite finishing 5th in the 100m final in 10.45 seconds, Azamati’s time falls far short of the Olympic qualifying time of 10.00 seconds.
Ghana’s female sprinters also showed promise but will need to achieve a time of 11.07 seconds to qualify for the Olympic Games.
In long-distance running, William Amponsah’s performances in the men’s 10,000m and half marathon were commendable but did not meet the qualifying times for both events.
With the outdoor season underway and athletes having until June 30th to achieve Olympic qualification, it is hoped that more Ghanaian athletes will put themselves in contention for a place at the Games.