Ghanaian sprinter Benjamin Azamati has revealed that he is experiencing a tight hip flexor, which he believes is the cause of his slower-than-usual performances at the ongoing African Games.
Despite this setback, Azamati remains confident that he will deliver his best performance in the final on Tuesday.
Azamati’s personal best record stands at 9.90s, but all his times recorded in the 100m heats and semi-finals so far have been over 10 seconds.
Speaking exclusively to 3Sports after qualifying for the final, Azamati expressed his confidence and delight in his performance despite the discomfort.
He attributed the tight hip flexor to the sudden change in climate, as he had been training in colder conditions before arriving in Ghana on Monday.
“I feel alright, not the perfect race for me, I feel like I didn’t execute well but I will go sit with my coach and talk about it,” Azamati said.
“I had a little bit of a tight hip flexor, I think I’ll go back and see the physio to work on that and see how we can do tomorrow.”
Benjamin Azamati admits he didn't have the perfect semi-final race earlier on Monday.
He finished second in his race, booking a place in the final for tomorrow#3SportsGH #Accra2023 pic.twitter.com/5hnYKd7PTg
— #3Sports (@3SportsGh) March 18, 2024
Azamati also mentioned that he will have to adjust to the warm weather conditions in Ghana, as he has only been there since Monday. He believes that it may take him a couple of weeks to fully acclimate to the temperature difference.
🇬🇭Benjamin Azamati is through to 100m finals after finishing 2nd in Semi Heat 2 in time 10.41s.#AfricanGames2023 pic.twitter.com/N0HMngMBtP
— George Addo Jnr (@addojunr) March 18, 2024
The athlete will be joined by fellow Ghanaian Barnabas Aggreh in the men’s 100m final, who finished second in the first semi-final heat with a time of 10.42 seconds.
With his current form, Azamati is on track to win an individual medal at the African Games for the first time.
To claim gold, however, he will need to put in an exceptional performance to edge out his competitors at the University of Ghana Stadium in Legon on Tuesday at 6:30 pm local time.
By Prosper Kuzo | 3Sports | Ghana