The head coach of the University of Ghana’s 100m and 200m sprint teams, Abdul-Rauf Zakaria, has revealed that he is not pleased when his athletes fail to follow instructions during a race, even if they win.
According to the sprint coach, an athlete’s victory is not enough if they did not adhere to the strategy or instructions given.
Abdul-Rauf made these comments in an interview with Univers Sports after his team trained on Tuesday morning at the University of Ghana Stadium in preparation for the Ghana University Sports Association (GUSA) Games.
“For me, my target is to ensure that athletes do what they have been taught. Any other result is a bonus, and that forms our evaluation,” he explained.
“If you go and do something different, even if you win the race, as a coach, I am not happy because you have not followed through with what you were supposed to do. It’s not just about winning; it’s about executing what we’ve planned, what we’ve prepared for. Have you been able to do that? That’s our ultimate goal,” he said.
Coach Abdul-Rauf also emphasised that his team does not take vacations—they are always training. Therefore, the two-week preparation for the GUSA Games is not a problem, as they have already had ample time to prepare.
”We are in camp for two weeks, but we train year-round. Some athletes don’t go home for the holidays, so we train all the time. We have had good preparation,” he said.
“We don’t break at all, not even for vacation. Athletes who stay behind continue training, and this runs through until school resumes.”
With just three days to go until the main event, the UG sprinters are poised for action.
Story by: Gabriel Tecco Mensah | univers.ug.edu.gh
