Saminu smashes Ghana's national 100-metre record with 9.86s sprint; becomes world’s fastest man in 2025
Ghanaian sprinter Abdul-Rasheed Saminu shattered the national men’s 100 metres record last Friday with a blistering run of 9.86 seconds at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) East Preliminary Round, becoming the fastest man in the world so far this year and cementing his place among global sprinting elites.
The 27-year-old's historic sprint not only eclipsed the previous national record of 9.90 seconds set by Benjamin Azamati in 2022, but also qualified him for the World Athletics Championships scheduled for September in Tokyo.
His time ties for the second fastest in NCAA history, trailing only Christian Coleman’s long-standing collegiate record of 9.82 seconds.
Currently a student at the University of South Florida (USF), Saminu transferred from Florida Memorial University after starting off his student-athlete career at the University of Ghana.
Since joining the Bulls, he has become one of the most decorated athletes in the school’s history. In 2024, he was named USF’s Male Athlete of the Year and earned First Team All-American honours in the 60m dash during the indoor season.
His meteoric rise includes standout performances throughout 2024, such as his wind-assisted 9.95-second run at the South Florida Invitational, gold medal victories in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay at the AAC Championships in San Antonio, and a 20.12-second personal best in the 200m at the NCAA Division I Championships in Oregon.
Saminu also played a pivotal role in Ghana’s 4x100m relay team that won gold at the African Championships in Douala, Cameroon. He was part of the national squad at the Paris Olympics, where he advanced to the semi-finals in the 100m and competed in the men’s relay.
In a post on social media following his record-breaking feat, Saminu expressed gratitude for the support he has received and underscored his ambition to spotlight Ghanaian talent. “Thank you all for your messages. Hopefully more to come and I want the world to know we got talents in Ghana. It’s an honour to be the new national record holder. Big ups to Azamati—we already discussed this happening when we last met in California. Local-based athletes deserve more attention as well. Mpahaya Ghana,” he wrote.
Born and raised in the village of Nanumba in Ghana, Saminu’s journey to global recognition is rooted in humble beginnings.
He attributes his early development as a sprinter to chasing and hunting rabbits as a child. Originally a footballer, he was introduced to athletics by a coach and quickly demonstrated natural speed. Saminu speaks five languages—English, Dagbani, Twi, Hausa, and Arabic—and remains a proud ambassador of his roots.
With his current form and rapid improvement, Saminu is widely regarded as Ghana’s top medal hope for the World Championships in Tokyo.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the President of Ghana Athletics, Bawa Fuseini, said Saminu's potential was evident from a young age where he featured prominenttly for Ghana's junior athletics teams.
He said Ghana Athletics and the entire sporting fraternity was proud of his feat as the first Ghanaian to run the 100-metre dash in under 9.90 seconds. "He isn't done yet, he has the ability to go lower with the support of the nation," Mr. Fuseini told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
He added that Ghana had a legion of talented athletes in the United States collegiate system whose training was often disrupted when the student-atlethics calendar ends in America.
However, he was hopeful that with support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the members of Ghana 4x100 relay team which includes Saminu will be moved to Europe to continue their preparaton for the 2025 World Athletics Championships which will be held in Tokyo from September 13-21.
"We have already held positive meetings with the Minister of Sports and we are hopeful that from this month, we can get them to Europe for more competitions in preparation for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo".
