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Abdul-Rasheed Saminu overtakes Azamati in world 100m rankings

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Ghana’s men’s 100m sprinting hierarchy has a new leader, as Abdul-Rasheed Saminu has surged past Benjamin Azamati in the latest World Athletics rankings, released on 20 May.

The 27-year-old Saminu, who has started the season in blistering form, now sits 37th in the world and 8th in Africa, ending Azamati’s four-year reign as Ghana’s top-ranked sprinter.

Azamati, meanwhile, slips to 38th globally and 9th on the continent—a marginal but symbolic shift in what promises to be an electrifying rivalry this season.

Saminu’s lightning start to 2025

Saminu announced his arrival this year with a wind-assisted 9.87 seconds at the Pepsi Florida Relays in April, turning heads at Gainesville’s Percy Beard Track.

He followed up with a dominant performance at the East Coast Relays in early May, clocking 10.06 seconds in the final to claim gold—a 0.16-second improvement from his heat time.

However, his momentum hit a snag at the American Conference Outdoor Championships in North Carolina, where a rare disqualification in the heats denied him a shot at the finals.

Despite the setback, his early-season consistency has propelled him 13 places up the global rankings since January.

Azamati’s strong response

Though dethroned, Azamati remains a formidable force. The 27-year-old opened his season with a 10.07-second victory at California’s Mt. SAC Relays before blazing to a 10.02-second win at Arizona’s Desert Heat Classic.

His most eye-catching performance came at the Franson Last Chance meet in California, where he set a season’s best (SB) of 9.93 seconds—just 0.06 seconds behind world No. 4 Fred Kerley of the USA.

Saminu

That run underscored his ability to compete with the sport’s elite and helped him climb two spots in the rankings.

What’s next for Ghana’s sprint kings?

With both athletes rising in the rankings—Saminu up 13 places, Azamati up two—Ghanaian fans can look forward to a thrilling battle for supremacy as the season progresses.

The question now is: Can Saminu maintain his lead, or will Azamati reclaim his crown?

As the road to major championships heats up, all eyes will be on these two speedsters to deliver more headline-grabbing performances.

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