Despite a commendable performance at the African Games, no Ghanaian athlete has secured qualification for the upcoming Olympic Games set to be held in Paris later this year.
While Team Ghana showcased promising talent at the Accra 2023 African Games, none of the performances in track and field events met the required standards for Olympic qualification.
Joseph Paul Amoah, who clinched gold in the men’s 200m event with a time of 20.70 seconds, fell short of the accepted qualifying time for the Olympic Games, which stands at 20.16 seconds. Amoah’s personal best in the 200m is 20.08 seconds, indicating the need for him to revisit that form to qualify for the Olympics.
In the high jump, Ghana secured double gold medals in both the men’s and women’s divisions. Cadman Yamoah cleared a height of 2.23m, while Rose Amoanima Yeboah, a previous gold medalist, cleared 1.90m to clinch gold in Accra. However, the Olympic qualifying height for men in high jump stands at 2.33m, with women required to achieve a height of 1.97m to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Benjamin Azamati, Ghana’s fastest man, faces a significant challenge to qualify for the Olympics. Despite finishing 5th in the 100m final with a time of 10.45 seconds, well below the Olympic qualifying time of 10.00 seconds, Azamati must substantially improve his performance to secure qualification.
Ghanaian female sprinters displayed promising performances, but they will need to achieve a time of 11.07 seconds to qualify for the Olympic Games.
In long-distance running, although William Amponsah impressed in the men’s 10,000m and secured a silver medal in the half marathon, he still has some distance to cover to meet the qualifying times for both events.
With the outdoor season underway and athletes having until June 30th to achieve the Olympic qualifying times, hopes remain high that more Ghanaian athletes will step up and put themselves in contention for a spot at the prestigious Games.
Source: classfmonline