World Athletics Relay 2026: Ghana Beats Nigeria but Misses Final and $40,000 Prize Money
- Team Ghana edged regional rivals Nigeria in the 2026 World Athletics Relay but ultimately missed out on reaching the final
- The quartet of Edwin Gadayi, Benjamin Azamati, Joseph Paul Amoah and Abdul Rasheed Saminu finished fourth with a time of 38.19 sec
- Ghana will have a second chance to qualify for a fourth consecutive World Athletics Championship on May 3
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Ghana’s men’s relay team suffered heartbreak at the 2026 World Athletics Relays after narrowly missing out on a place in the final on Saturday, May 2.
The Ghanaian quartet finished fourth in a highly competitive Heat 3, behind South Africa, Great Britain and China, despite producing a season best time of 38.19 seconds.
With only the top two teams guaranteed automatic qualification to the final, Ghana faced a daunting task against reigning champions South Africa, relay powerhouse Great Britain and regional rivals Nigeria.
Source: Getty Images
Team Ghana falls short despite strong performance
Ghana lined up with Abdul Rasheed Saminu, Benjamin Azamati, Joseph Paul Amoah and Edwin Kwabla Gadayi for the crucial race.
Unlike last year’s World Championships, where Ibrahim Fuseini started the race, national record holder Saminu took charge of the opening leg this time around.
The speedster gave Ghana a solid start before handing the baton to Azamati on the back straight.
Azamati kept Ghana firmly in contention before passing over to team captain Joseph Paul Amoah for the third leg.
However, South Africa and Great Britain gradually pulled away from the pack. By the final exchange, Gadayi had a mountain to climb against some of the fastest finishers in world athletics.
Watch how Ghana finished in fourth place, as shared on X:
Despite a determined effort from the Ghanaian anchor, the gap proved too much to close.
According to World Athletics, South Africa, powered by star sprinter Akani Simbine, won the heat in 37.68 seconds.
Great Britain, featuring Ghanaian descent sprinter Jeremiah Azu, finished second in 38.01 seconds, while China edged into third with 38.02 seconds.
Ghana placed fourth with 38.19 seconds, finishing ahead of Nigeria, who clocked 38.31 seconds. Brazil, Poland and India completed the standings, per Athletics Africa.
Source: Getty Images
Ghana misses relay final and $40k prize
The result means Ghana misses out on the final and the chance to compete for the $40,000 winner’s prize.
The team’s campaign was also disrupted before the event even began. Ghana had initially named a five-man squad, but Isaac Botsio withdrew because of school commitments in the United States.
Watch the explainer, as shared on X:
To make matters worse, Ibrahim Fuseini was unable to travel due to flight complications and cancellations, forcing the Ghana Athletics Association to draft Gadayi into the team at the last minute.
Despite the disappointment, Ghana still has another opportunity to qualify for the World Athletics Championships in Beijing later this year on Sunday, May 3.
The national team would hope not to miss out of the Championships after finishing just outside the podium places in 2025.
When the men's relay team broke NR
In 2025, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghana’s men’s 4x100m relay team produced a national-record performance to qualify for the final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The quartet of Ibrahim Fuseini, Benjamin Azamati, Joseph Paul Amoah and Abdul Rasheed Saminu clocked 37.79 seconds to break the previous national mark of 38.07 set in 2022.
Source: YEN.com.gh
