Benjamin Azamati was at his best at Texas Relays as he wrecked the 22-year 100m national record (9.98s) set by Leo Myles Mills in 1999 with a legal 9.97s(1.5 m/s) finish in Austin, Texas.
The West Texas A&M sprinter was the first to dash through the finish line in Heat 8 of qualifying and in the process becomes the first man to go under 10 secs this year with his 100m personal best of 9.97s.
He also breaks the 38-year record(10.08s) set by NFL Hall of Famer Darrel Green in the 1983 Division II NCAA Championship. Azameti’s personal best in 100m coming into this race was 10.32s.
This comes after the Ghanaian was named the Lone Star Conference Male Track Athlete of the Year after winning the national 60m title at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships earlier this year.
The former University of Ghana student becomes the 3rd Ghanaian to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Olympic qualification mark is set at 10.05s.