Ghana arrived just a day before competition after a grueling 14-hour flight and 16-hour layover, yet still battled jet lag to qualify for the World Athletics Championships 2027 in Beijing.
Ghana, a coastal nation in West Africa along the Gulf of Guinea with a population of about 33 million people, made history on Day 2 of the World Relays 2026. The men’s 4×100m team finished second in Heat 2, clocking a season’s best of 38.09 seconds, just behind China, who recorded 37.85 seconds. Both teams secured qualification for Beijing 2027.
What makes Ghana’s achievement even more remarkable is the challenge they faced off the track. After the race, Ghana’s fastest man, Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, publicly criticized the Ministry of Sports and Recreation over travel issues that nearly derailed their campaign.
In a post, he wrote: “The Ministry of Sports in Ghana needs to do better. Don’t set us up for failure. If it were the ‘Black Stars,’ flight tickets would be ready months prior to their game. A 14-hour flight and 16-hour layover is not acceptable for professional athletes. We are running with jet lag, no proper recovery.”
Team lineup: Edwin Kwabla Gadayi, Benjamin Azamati, Joseph Paul Amoah and Abdul-Rasheed Saminu.