Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati and Abdul Rasheed Saminu fell short of reaching the men’s 100m final at the ongoing Olympic Games in Paris.
In their respective semi-final heats on Sunday, Azamati clocked 10.17 seconds while Saminu finished with a time of 10.05 seconds, both insufficient to advance to the final scheduled for later tonight.
Azamati placed ninth in his heat, which was dominated by Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, with world champion Noah Lyles securing second place.
Saminu finished seventh in his heat, surpassing Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, who ended up in eighth.
Kishane Thompson of Jamaica won this heat with a time of 9.80 seconds, and Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Fred Kerley came in second.
This result means Ghana will continue its wait for an Olympic sprint final appearance, a feat last achieved by Aziz Zakari in Athens 2004.
The men’s 100m final, set for 7:50 PM Ghana time, will feature three American athletes: Kenny Bednarek (10.87 seconds), Fred Kerley (9.84 seconds), and Noah Lyles (9.81 seconds).
Jamaica’s Oblique Seville (9.81 seconds) and Kishane Thompson (9.77 seconds), both heat winners, will be aiming to disrupt a potential American sweep of the medals.
Defending champion Marcell Jacobs will also be competing, striving to retain his title from four years ago, alongside Africa’s World Championships medalist, Letsile Tebogo, as a strong contender.
Additionally, South Africa’s consistent performer, Akani Simbine (9.84 seconds), will be in the final lineup.