Benjamin Azamati’s bid for a first Commonwealth Games men’s 100m medal ended with a seventh-place finish after the Ghanaian sprinter clocked 10.11 seconds in Tuesday night’s final at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow.
The Ghanaian, who had impressed throughout the competition by running 10.00 seconds in both the preliminary round and semi-final, was unable to reproduce that form in the medal race despite a clean reaction time of 0.163 seconds from lane one.
Instead, the spotlight belonged to Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme, who delivered a sensational performance to storm to gold in a Commonwealth Games record of 9.83 seconds in wet conditions.
Eseme’s remarkable run not only secured the Commonwealth title but also established a new Cameroonian national record, capping an outstanding championship after he had already set a national mark of 9.89 seconds in the semi-finals.
The final proved to be one of the fastest in Commonwealth Games history, with four athletes breaking the 10-second barrier despite the rain, highlighting the quality of the field assembled in Glasgow.
Eseme Rewrites The Record Books
Running from lane five, Eseme produced a blistering start and maintained his advantage through the finish to become the fastest man ever over 100m at the Commonwealth Games.
His winning time of 9.83 seconds erased the previous Games record while also improving his own national record.
The Cameroonian looked in complete control over the closing metres, comfortably holding off a strong challenge from the rest of the field to claim the biggest title of his career.
Kennedy and Ajayi Complete Podium Finish
Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy claimed silver after setting an Area Record and personal best of 9.85 seconds, while Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi secured bronze in 9.90 seconds.
South Africa’s Gift Leotlela narrowly missed out on a medal after finishing fourth in a season’s best of 9.91 seconds, making him the fourth athlete to dip below the 10-second mark in the final.
Azamati’s Encouraging Campaign
Although the final result fell short of expectations, Azamati’s overall campaign offered encouraging signs. His back-to-back 10.00-second performances in the earlier rounds matched his season’s best and demonstrated his consistency against one of the strongest sprint fields assembled at the Games.
The final standings saw Jamaica’s Bouwahjgie Nkrumie finish fifth in 10.00 seconds, England’s Eugene Amo-Dadzie place sixth in 10.06 seconds, Azamati seventh in 10.11 seconds, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Kion Benjamin eighth in 10.16 seconds.
While the medals went elsewhere, Azamati leaves Glasgow having reached another major championship final, with Eseme’s historic record-breaking victory providing the defining moment of the men’s sprint competition.
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