Ghana’s national 100m record holder Benjamin Azamati wrapped up preparations ahead of the Olympic Games, with a 10.23s finish at the Holloway Pro Classics meet in Florida yesterday.
Azamati advanced to the final of the meet after clocking a 10.19s finish in the semi-final, before taking 9th place in the final.
Matadi Emmanuel annexed gold with a new personal best and Liberian record (9.91s), while countryman and African champion Joseph Fanbullah finished in second place in 10.00s.
United States’ Austin Pjai, who ran the fastest qualifying time (9.94s), settled for third with a 10.06s finish.
Azamati, who secured his spot in Paris after finishing 39th in the world ranking, will compete in successive Olympics after participating in the last edition in Tokyo.
The former University of Ghana sprinter is set to team up with the rest of Ghana’s Olympic contingents, who are preparing for the summer’s showdown at the team’s training base in Strasbourg.
Team Ghana is expected to move to the Olympic Village on July 21 ahead of the Opening Ceremony.
The 2024 Paris Olympics, which has set a new record with 8.6 million ticket sales – surpassing the previous 8.3 million record from Atlanta 1996, is expected to commence on July 26, 2024.
Benjamin Azamati and Ghana’s track and field athletes, who will compete in the 100m event, 200m and high jump, will have the opportunity to win the country’s first ever Olympic track and field medal when the track and field events gets underway on August 1.
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Story by: Andrews Sefa Bamfo| univers.ug.edu.gh
