Abdul-Rasheed Saminu cemented his status as Ghana’s fastest man in history after blazing to an astonishing 9.84 seconds to win the 100 metres at the Last Chance Qualifier in Georgia, USA, breaking his own national record once again.
Running at the McEachern High School track last Saturday, the 27-year-old University of South Florida (USF) speedster shattered his own national record of 9.86s — set just two months ago — by two-hundredths of a second, confirming his place among the fastest men on the planet and firmly establishing himself as Ghana’s next big sprint star.
Behind him, fellow Ghanaian Mustapha Bokpin finished strong with 10.09 seconds — a brilliant run in its own right. But this was Samimu’s moment.
His earlier performance in May had broken Benjamin Azamati’s national mark and made Saminu the first Ghanaian to dip under 9.90 seconds — but now, he has gone even faster.
Last Saturday’s sizzling time ranks as the third quickest in the world this year, trailing only Jamaican sprint stars Kishane Thompson (9.75s) and Oblique Seville (9.83s). It’s also the second-fastest in NCAA history, behind only Christian Coleman’s 9.82s — further proof that Samimu is no longer just a local hero, but a serious global contender.
Currently studying at the University of South Florida, the multilingual Samimu — who speaks English, Dagbani, Twi, Hausa and Arabic — began his sprinting journey at the University of Ghana.
He has since blossomed into a global talent, having reached the semi-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympics and played a key role in Ghana’s gold medal 4x100m relay triumph at last year’s African Athletics Championships in Cameroun.
Saminu’s rise has been nothing short of electric. A semi-finalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, he also helped Ghana to a 4x100m gold at the African Athletics Championships last year.
And now, with the World Championships in Tokyo just weeks away, Saminu is no longer just a promising sprinter. He is Ghana’s leading medal hope and a global contender.
