Ghanaian sprinter Saminu Abdul Rasheed eyes Olympic qualification

University of South Florida sprinter Saminu Abdul Rasheed has set his sights on Olympic qualification after recording a season-leading time in Division I NCAA.

On Friday, April 5, 2024, Abdul Rasheed ran a program record of 9.95 seconds in the men’s 100m dash at the South Florida Invitational in Tampa.

Forty-five minutes later, Saminu recorded a time of 20.34 seconds, the fifth-fastest Division I NCAA time in the 200m this season.

Saminu who represented Ghana at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England said he was looking forward to qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

‘‘It means a lot. It is going to be like a dream come true. I will be happy to represent my country. The village is looking up to me and I am looking forward to it too.’’

Despite his time, he is yet to qualify for the Olympic Games since his performance was wind-aided (+3.6). The Olympic Games threshold for wind-assisted performances is +2.0.

Before the Olympics however, Abdul Rasheed’s focus is on the four regular season meets, AAC Outdoor Championships, and NCAA Regionals.

‘‘There is no doubt that we have a good team coming on this season. So everybody is trying to get ready for our team. The boys are not playing (around) this season so…’’ he concluded.