Saminu and Azamati Blaze into Commonwealth Games 100m Semi-Finals as Botsio Misses Out
Ghana’s sprint duo of Abdul Rasheed Saminu and Benjamin Azamati delivered outstanding performances to qualify for the men’s 100-metre semi-finals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, while compatriot Isaac Botsio narrowly missed out on progression.
Saminu set the tone with a commanding victory in Heat 2, clocking a season-best 10.01 seconds to comfortably secure his place in the next round.
Running from Lane 3, the Ghanaian reacted sharply to the starter’s gun with a 0.150-second reaction time before pulling away from the rest of the field in emphatic fashion.
Mauritania’s Orphee Topize finished second in 10.38 seconds, while Mc Kish Compton of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines claimed third place.
Saminu arrived in Glasgow carrying impressive credentials after reaching the semi-finals of the 2025 World Athletics Championships. His personal best of 9.84 seconds remains the fastest by any Ghanaian this season, and his opening performance reinforced his status as one of Team Ghana’s strongest medal hopes.
Azamati matched that impressive display later in the day by storming to victory in Heat 5, posting an even quicker season-best 10.00 seconds.
His winning time edged Saminu’s mark by 0.01 seconds, making Azamati the fastest Ghanaian across the heats.
The experienced sprinter recorded a 0.155-second reaction time and comfortably finished ahead of Jamie Oldham of Jersey, who also progressed after registering a personal best of 10.41 seconds.
While Saminu and Azamati celebrated qualification, Botsio’s campaign came to an early end.
The Ghanaian finished fourth in Heat 9 with a time of 10.40 seconds and a reaction time of 0.171 seconds, missing out on one of the available semi-final places.
Although disappointed by the outcome, Botsio’s participation added to Ghana’s strong presence in the men’s sprint event.
With two athletes advancing, Team Ghana’s hopes of securing a medal in the blue-riband event remain firmly alive as Saminu and Azamati prepare for the semi-finals in pursuit of a place in the Commonwealth Games final.
