Ghana’s men’s 4x100m relay team has suffered a crushing blow after being disqualified from the Paris Olympics in the Semifinal.
The quartet of Abdul Rasheed Saminu, Benjamin Azamati, Ibrahim Fuseini, and Joseph Paul Amoah clocked a time of 38.62 seconds in their heat, but a crucial error in the baton exchange led to their disqualification.
This marks the second consecutive Olympics where the Ghanaian team has been eliminated due to a similar mishap. The disappointment was palpable among the athletes, with the team’s time of 38.62 seconds significantly slower than their recent personal bests.
Joseph Paul Amoah expressed his frustration with the circumstances, attributing the error to the noisy atmosphere in the stadium. “The noise level was really high, and it affected our baton exchange,” Amoah said. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s part of the sport.”
Ibrahim Fuseini echoed Amoah’s sentiments, acknowledging the team’s subpar performance. “This is our worst performance in recent times,” Fuseini admitted. “We are all disappointed, and we need to regroup and come back stronger.”
The disqualification is a bitter pill to swallow for the Ghanaian team, who had high hopes of reaching the final but the Ghana now exit the Olympics with no medals.
China emerged victorious in the heat with a time of 38.24 seconds, followed by France (38.34 seconds) and Canada (38.39 seconds), who all advanced to the final.