Ghanaian sprinter Abdul-Rasheed Saminu has secured a coveted spot in the semi-finals of the men's 100m at the World Athletics Championships! The competition, held on Saturday, September 13, 2025, saw Saminu deliver a blistering performance, finishing second in Heat 7 with a time of 10.09 seconds.
His impressive run and quick reaction time (0.188 seconds) earned him an automatic qualification. South Africa's Akani Simbine, a seasoned African sprinter, claimed the top spot in the heat with a time of 10.02 seconds, while Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala secured the final automatic qualifying position with 10.12 seconds.
Saminu's performance placed him ahead of several strong contenders, including athletes from the Netherlands, China, and Cameroon. While these athletes put up a good fight, they couldn't match the pace of the top finishers.
Azamati's Journey Ends
Unfortunately, Benjamin Azamati, another of Ghana's talented sprinters, missed out on qualifying for the semi-finals in Tokyo. Running in Heat 5, Azamati finished sixth with a time of 10.30 seconds. The competition was fierce, with the top three sprinters in each heat securing automatic qualification.
Letsile Tebogo, the defending World Silver medalist, won Azamati's heat with a time of 10.07 seconds. Veteran Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse finished second, and American Courtney Lindsey took third place.
Looking Ahead
Despite this setback, Azamati remains a key member of Ghana's 4x100 Metre Relay Team. He will have another opportunity to shine on September 20th at 20:25 GMT when the team competes in the relay event. We wish him and the entire Ghanaian team the best of luck!
- Saminu qualifies for the 100m semi-finals.
- Azamati misses out on qualifying.
- Azamati will compete in the 4x100 Metre Relay.