Ghanaian track star Benjamin Azamati has, over the weekend, set a new record. The Olympic-bound athlete who already qualified for the 100m and 4×100m events at the upcoming Olympics broke a longstanding record in the 200m category set by Bryan Bridgewater (20.15s) in 1992.
He set a new 20.13s record, 0.02 seconds less than was previously documented to win gold and set a new Lone Star Conference championship record, the best ever time in the division. This has further solidified his participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics happening later this year.
The 2020 Olympics qualifying time set for sprinters is 20.24s and the former University of Ghana Star recorded a time 0.11s better. The 2020 Olympics is set to be held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
Azamati at the Lone Star Conference championships this weekend also broke the 100m record with 10.03s in the heats and subsequently won gold for West Texas A&M University.
Azamati and his fellow Ghanaian teammates were recently in the media asking for support from the government to enable them adequately prepare for the upcoming Olympics. The national 100m record holder will be participating in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay in the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo.
