2024 Olympics: It wasn’t my best - Ghana's swimmer Harry Stacey after finishing 7th

Ghanaian swimmer Harry Stacey admitted that his seventh-place finish in the Men’s 100m freestyle at the 2024 Olympic Games was not his best performance.

He noted that despite having high expectations and training diligently for the games, his seventh-place finish fell short of what he had hoped for.

Reflecting on his performance in an interview with Benjamin Willie Graham, Stacey said, "My swim wasn't my best. Normally, I'm first to 15 meters or second, and then also first to the turn.

"This time, I think I was around fourth. So my first 50 wasn't my best, but the second 50 coming back, I did what I normally do. I'm not too mad at the performance, but it wasn't my best showing."

Stacey also expressed his gratitude for the support from Ghanaians and promised to learn from this experience and do better in the next Olympic Games.

“The crowd was amazing. Just seeing my family in the crowd, and the Ghanaian people coming to support me, I heard them all cheering. I'm really grateful for the support. The road to these Olympics has been extremely difficult. I hope to come back for Ghana, get more medals, and definitely improve in the future,” he added.

Making his Olympic debut, Stacey finished 7th in Heat 4 with a time of 51.12s in the Men’s 100m freestyle event at the La Défense Arena on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. His time was slower than his national record and personal best of 50.67s.

He qualified for the Olympics through national rankings and wildcard entries.

With Stacey bowing out, Joselle Alice Mensah remains Ghana's only hope in the swimming events.

She will compete in the Women’s 50m Freestyle - Heat 6 on Saturday, August 3, 2024.

Ghana still has 8 athletes yet to compete in the Games, including Joseph Paul Amoah, Rasheed Saminu, Issac Botsio, Benjamin Azamati, Edwin Gadayi, Fuseini Ibrahim, Rose Amoanimaa Yeboah, and Joselle Mensah.

SB/OGB