Accra 2023: “Grateful we didn’t get disqualified”- Joe Paul on baton change mishap

From Left to Right: 2023 AFrican Games 4x100 Metre Men's Relay Medalists Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia

Ghanaian sprinter Joseph Paul Amoah says he is grateful that Ghana’s Men’s 4×100 Metre Relay Team didn’t get disqualified in the 2023 African Games 4×100 Metre Men’s Final Race over a baton change mishap.

He said this in an interview after Ghana finished with a time of 38.41 seconds second behind Nigeria’s 38.43 seconds in the final with Liberia finishing third with a time of 38.73 seconds which is a new national record.

A delay in the changeover of batons from Solomon Hammond to Ghana’s anchor leg, Joseph Amoah, led cost Ghana a gold medal win in front of a packed University of Ghana Stadium.

Addressing the media, Amoah said the team was focused on polishing up the exchange part of the race but was happy the mistake didn’t lead to a disqualification.

“It’s a little bit sad. We wanted the fold we couldn’t get it but we will take silver. Our main focus was to try to get the baton around in the right zones. We had a little bit of a mishap on the last leg.”

Joseph Paul Amoah of Team Ghana (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

“It happened yesterday, we wanted to polish it up but so many things can happen in a race. We’re just grateful that we didn’t get disqualified but we will take silver. It’s cool.”

Amoah will compete in the Men’s 200 Metre race today; he won bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Exit mobile version