Seven Ghanaian sprinters have automatically qualified for the finals of their respective Confederation of African Athletics Region II events, slated for this evening at the University of Ghana Stadium.

The seven athletes who excelled in the heats, which were dominated by Nigerians, are Edwin Kwabla Gadayi, Efua Naseeran Quansah, Halutie Hor, Israel Anane Domeh, Daniel Nana Yaw Otibu, Grace Aduntira, and Bridget Annan.

100 Metre Heats

Leading the charge for the host nation, Edwin Kwabla Gadayi won his 100-metre heat comfortably with a time of 10.20 seconds, securing his spot in the final scheduled for 4:30 PM tonight.

He finished ahead of Alusine M. Kamara of Sierra Leone, with Raymond Ayikoe Gabiam of Togo coming third.

The second heat was won by Fokorede Adekalu of Nigeria, with Kouadia Eric Kouame of Côte d’Ivoire and Sarfo Ansah of Ghana finishing second and third respectively.

The final heat was claimed by Israel Okon of Nigeria in a time of 10.12 seconds, with Malian Fode Sissoko and Togolese Pascal Essowe Alite coming third.

In the women’s heats, Nigerian sprinters Olayinka Olajide and Justina Eyapokbeyan finished first in two separate heats. Interestingly, Ghanaians Efua Naseeran Quansah and Halutie Hor finished second in their respective heats.

400 Metres

Two Ghanaians, Israel Anane Domeh (48.29 seconds) and Daniel Nana Yaw Otibu (47.74 seconds), have also qualified for the men’s 400 metres final, slated for 5:00 PM tonight. The two heats were won by Nigerians Igeanyi Ojeli (46.00 seconds) and Sikiru Adeyemi (46.58 seconds).

There will also be Ghanaian interest in the women’s 400 metres final after Grace Aduntira and Bridget Annan qualified in separate heats.

Aduntira came third behind Patience Okon of Nigeria and Sita Sibira of Burkina Faso, while Annan placed second behind Nigerian Esther Joseph, with Togolese Julienne Batchassi coming third.

The two-day  Confederation of African Athletics Region II tournament is an Olympic qualifying event. Currently, only Ghana’s 4×100 men’s relay team has qualified for the Paris Olympics. 

Ghana is also hoping to secure two universality slots if its swimmers do not meet the Olympic Qualification Time (OQT) before the qualification deadline.

source: graphiconline