Ghana’s Godfred Opoku has advanced to the final of the men’s 400m at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, after a composed run in the semi-finals confirmed his place among the eight fastest quarter-milers.
Competing in Semi-Final 2 at Hayward Field, the 19-year-old crossed the line third in a time of 45.91 seconds, comfortably inside the automatic qualifying places and enough to secure his way to Saturday’s championship final.
It capped an impressive week for Opoku, who opened his campaign by winning his first-round heat outright in 46.05 seconds.
A breakout season that has seen him lower his personal best to 45.38 seconds and establish himself as one of the leading junior one-lap runners, having also featured prominently for Ghana at this year’s African Championships in Athletics.
A remarkable achievement for the young quarter-miler, and Ghana’s clearest medal opportunity yet on the track in Eugene.
Opoku will line up in Lane 3 when the men’s 400m final is contested at 03:53 GMT on Saturday, 8 August 2026, the concluding day of the championships.
He goes into the race as part of a strong field assembled from national federations across the world, with a top-eight finish.