Ghana’s promising young female sprinters saw their impressive run at the African Senior Athletics Championships come to an end on Saturday, May 16, 2026, after all three athletes failed to qualify for the women’s 200m final in Accra.

Despite successfully progressing through the heats earlier in the day, the Ghanaian trio could not secure automatic qualification spots during a highly competitive semi-final session at the University of Ghana Stadium.

In the first semi-final, Aisha Jaffar narrowly missed out on qualification after finishing third in a time of 24.19 seconds.

Nigeria’s Rosemary Chukwuma won the race in 23.24 seconds, while Kenya’s Seyni Issatou placed second in 24.15 seconds.

The second semi-final saw Côte d’Ivoire’s Maboundou Koné cross the line first in 23.26 seconds ahead of Egypt’s Bassant Hemida, who finished second in 23.61 seconds.

Ghana’s Janet Mensah placed sixth with a time of 24.26 seconds.

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In the final semi-final, Liberia’s Symone Darius and Gambia’s Nyima Jawneh secured qualification after strong performances, while Ghana’s Gladys Boateng finished eighth in 25.46 seconds.

Although the trio missed out on the final, their performances throughout the championships have continued to highlight the emergence of a new generation of Ghanaian sprint talent, with many of the athletes still competing at senior high school level.

FKA/AM

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