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Tag: Azamati

  • Fentuo hits back at critics mocking Azamati for his ‘glamourous’ shades

    Fentuo hits back at critics mocking Azamati for his ‘glamourous’ shades

    Ghanaian Sports journalist, Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo, has jumped to the defence of Ghanaian athlete, Benjamin Azamati, who has been trolled after he and his colleague 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, Azamati clocked 10.17 seconds while Saminu finished with a time of 10.05 seconds, both insufficient to advance to the final.

    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.

    Following this, some X users trolled Azamati and ridiculed him for putting on fancy spectacles but failing to win.

    Some users described him as the ‘specs man’.

    Peeved by their actions, Mr Fentuo provided clarification as to why Azamati wears spectacles during big tournaments.

    According to him, Azamati is sponsored by a men’s eyewear company Oakley, and as such, is to advertise the company’s product whenever he appears at events with large audience.

    He therefore entreated those trolling the Ghanaian athlete to desist from that and show Azamati some respect and encouragement.

    “One more thing – Azamati is sponsored by men’s eyewear company Oakley. The contract requires him to wear these running glasses at some major meets. It’s not just for the fun of it. It’s not easy in the track world to get sponsorship. He’s worked hard to secure this one, funds from which he’s able to use to support his training to come and compete for Ghana. If anything, he deserves encouragement, not trolling. Stop calling him ‘specs man’,” he wrote in a post on X.

  • Video: Ghana’s Azamati, Saminu in semi-final of Olympics 100m race

    Video: Ghana’s Azamati, Saminu in semi-final of Olympics 100m race

    Ghanaian sprinters Benjamin Azamati and Rasheed Saminu both saw their hopes in the men’s 100 metres at the 2024 Olympic Games come to an end in the semi-final round.

    In the first semi-final, Benjamin Azamati finished ninth with a time of 10.17 seconds.

    The race was won by Jamaica’s Oblique Seville in 9.81 seconds, while Noah Lyles of the USA, who won the bronze in 2020, secured second place with a time of 9.83 seconds.

    In the second semi-final, Rasheed Saminu placed seventh with a time of 10.08 seconds.

    Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson led this heat with a time of 9.80 seconds, followed by Fred Kerley from the USA in second with 9.84 seconds.

    The final of the men’s 100 metres was a showcase of American talent, as Noah Lyles claimed the gold medal.

    Lyles, who had confidently predicted his success, narrowly defeated Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson with a personal best time of 9.79 seconds.

    Despite Thompson leading for most of the race, Lyles surged to victory, marking the beginning of his ambitious quest for up to four gold medals at the Games.

    https://twitter.com/kaessuman/status/1820166796831531029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1820166796831531029%7Ctwgr%5E8c16399e3e33a8549cacb2bad140b551576a1f7c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ghanaweb.com%2FGhanaHomePage%2FSportsArchive%2FWatch-the-performance-of-Ghana-s-Azamati-and-Saminu-in-semi-final-of-Olympics-100m-event-1943971

    Fred Kerley, another American sprinter, won the bronze with a time of 9.81 seconds, just ahead of South Africa’s Akani Simbine.

    The race at Stade de France was intensely competitive, with all eight finalists finishing within a mere 0.12 seconds of Lyles after a suspenseful delay at the start.

  • Azamati, Saminu advance to men’s 100m semifinals in Paris 2024 Olympics

    Azamati, Saminu advance to men’s 100m semifinals in Paris 2024 Olympics

    Ghanaian sprinters Benjamin Azamati and Abdul-Rasheed Saminu have both secured spots in the semifinals of the men’s 100m at the ongoing Paris Olympics.

    Azamati, who holds Ghana’s national record for the 100m, clocked in at 10.08 seconds to finish second in Heat 1, just behind Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson.

    The heat was not without drama, as Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu faced disqualification for a false start.

    Meanwhile, Saminu advanced from Heat 7, crossing the finish line in third place with a time of 10.06 seconds. He was bested only by Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi and the reigning Olympic champion, Marcell Jacobs.

    For both Azamati and Saminu, this marks their first appearance in an Olympic semifinal.

    The men’s 100m semifinals are scheduled for Sunday evening.