Ghanaian sprinter Abdul-Rasheed Saminu has qualified for the men’s 100m semi-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, joining his compatriot Benjamin Azamati.
Saminu placed third in his heat on Saturday morning with a time of 10.06 seconds.
He started strong, leading the pack, but was overtaken near the finish line by Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi, who finished first, and Italy’s reigning Olympic champion, Marcell Jacobs.
Saturday 3rd August
100m prelims
11:45am🇫🇷 9:45am🇬🇭 5:45🇺🇸#thevillageisaware @Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/vrTEDvOyAQ— Rasheed OLY (@rasheed_saminu) July 30, 2024
Saminu, making his Olympic debut at 22, will also compete in the men’s 200m.
His road to the Olympics in the 100m wasn’t straightforward; he didn’t meet the entry standard of 10.00 seconds. Instead, he secured his spot through world rankings, clinching 54th place by the end of the qualifying period on June 30, 2024.
Saminu’s 2024 season has been impressive. He won gold at the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a 10.03-second dash and clocked a wind-aided 9.95 seconds at the South Florida Invitational.
He also took silver at the Tom Jones Memorial with a 10.13-second run and set a personal best of 10.02 seconds at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, finishing fifth.
The semi-finals are scheduled for Sunday.
