The Ghanaian men’s 4x100m relay team have once again been disqualified from the Olympic competition due to a lane infringement during the baton changeover.
The quartet, comprising Abdul-Saminu Rasheed, Benjamin Azamati, Ibrahim Fuseini, and Joseph-Paul Amoah, crossed the finish line in 38.62 seconds, placing sixth in their heat. However, their efforts were ultimately nullified by the violation.
This was the second time the team has been disqualified in the Olympics, having suffered the same fate at the Tokyo 2020 Games in 2021, where they placed seventh on the line.
In a fiercely competitive heat against the likes of Jamaica, Canada, Germany, China, Liberia, Brazil, and host nation France, Ghana struggled to keep pace and finished second to last. The race was marred by a messy baton exchange and stumbling runs, dashing their hopes of advancing to the final round.
The relay event represented Ghana’s most promising opportunity to secure a medal at the Paris Games, following a series of underwhelming performances in other disciplines. Unfortunately, the team fell short of expectations.
China emerged victorious in heat two, clocking a season’s best time of 38.24 seconds. Despite Jamaica’s strong showing, including a season’s best of 38.45 seconds and the presence of 100m silver medallist Kishane Thompson, they were edged out and finished in fourth place.
Ghana previously won silver at the 2023 African Games, which was caused by the same baton changeover issue, but won gold at the African Athletics Senior Championships in June. Their impressive performance at the Bahamas World Athletics Relays, where they clocked 38.29 seconds to qualify for the Olympics, had raised hopes of a strong showing in Paris.
