Benjamin Azamati blazes to 100m bronze in Turku thriller

Ghanaian sprint sensation Benjamin Azamati blazed to a bronze medal in the men’s 100m at the prestigious Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, clocking an impressive 10.10 seconds in a fiercely competitive final.

The 26-year-old, who has been in scintillating form this season, delivered another strong performance, narrowly missing silver by just 0.01 seconds to Canada’s Jerome Blake (10.09 seconds).

Britain’s Romell Glave took gold with a time of 10.08 seconds, edging out the field in a photo-finish thriller.

Road to the podium

Azamati had earlier powered through Heat 2, finishing second in 10.18 seconds behind Glave (10.12 seconds).

But the Ghanaian star dug deep in the final, shaving 0.08 seconds off his time to claim his first-ever Paavo Nurmi Games medal—a redemption after his fourth-place finish in 2024.

A season of speed

The University of Ghana alumnus has been one of Africa’s standout sprinters in 2025. He opened his campaign with a season-best (SB) 9.98 seconds at the McNab Sprint Series, becoming the 16th fastest man globally this year—joining elite company like the USA’s Fred Kerley and Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy.

His consistency has seen him climb three places in the World Athletics rankings since the year started to 38th globally and ninth in Africa, cementing his status as one of Ghana’s fastest-ever sprinters.

What’s next for Azamati?

With the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships looming, Azamati’s podium finish in Finland sends a strong message.

Can he challenge the likes of South Africa’s Akani Simbine and world No. 1 Noah Lyles?

One thing’s certain—Ghana’s sprint king is just getting started.