Injury prevents James Dadzie from finishing men’s 200m at World Athletic Champs

Ghanaian athlete James Dadzie couldn’t finish the men’s 200m race at the ongoing 2023 World Athletic Championships in Budapest after sustaining an injury.

Dadzie, who’s Ghana’s reigning 200m record-holder, started the race well but was seen clutching his hamstring midway through.

He eventually fell to the ground after being unable to shake off the pain and, therefore, couldn’t complete the race.

As the Ghanaian athlete was stretchered off the courts, the fans in attendance applauded him in acknowledgement of his efforts.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s Joseph Paul Amoah also failed to qualify for the semifinals of the 200m after finishing fifth in the heats.

In a related story, long jump queen Deborah Acquah says she feels let down by the country after getting little support despite competing with an injury for over a year.

Acquah, who is Ghana’s national record holder in long jump, represented the country at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

However, the 27-year-old could not make the final, having leapt 6.50m, which fell just short of the 6.80m needed to advance.

The long jumper’s underperformance comes after she won a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Reacting to this, Acquah said the neglect and lack of support from Ghanaian officials contributed to her inability to reach the final in Budapest.

“I honestly didn’t want to come to Budapest because for the past one year, I have been battling an injury. But my coach asked me to come and just get the season over it. So my performance was actually very good, if you understand the circumstances,” she told Joy Sports.

“After the last worlds, I didn’t want to go to Birmingham, but then, the Ghana officials, and I don’t want to mention names because they know themselves, promised to take care of me if I went to Birmingham to compete, so I went.

“Initially, they said they would get a doctor to take care of me in Ghana once we returned. But when we got back, I didn’t hear anything from them.”

Acquah further explained: “They then said I should go back to the US and they would find money for me to see a specialist here. That money didn’t come either.

“So the past one year has been a real challenge. I had to take care of myself through that injury, and because I’m done with school now, I also had to pick up a job to support myself. Because of all that, I have not been able to train and I have only competed once, since Birmingham,” she added.

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