Ghanaian 800m runner Alex Amankwah smashed Kennedy Osei’s 20 year old national 800m indoor record after running a World Leading 1:46.86 on Saturday 24th January at the Vanderbilt Indoor Invitational in Nashville, Tennessee.
The previous national indoor best had been 1:47.24, set by Kennedy Osei at a meet in Birmingham, United Kingdom on 25th February, 1995.
The University of Alabama junior, who won with a comfortable personal best followed by Leslie, Cory in 1:47.63 and Jacopo Lahbi in 1:48.28, also broke his school’s 11-year old 800m record in the process.
He was born in Ghana on 2nd March, 1992, before emigrating to the USA with his parents Erick Amankwah and Dorothy Nyarko in later years.
The 22 year old has been on the Ghana Athletics Association’s radar for a while now and, received consideration for the 2014 Commonwealth Games/African Championship selection for the 4x400m relay team, after just missing the GAA’s 800m qualifying standard.
Like many other national athletes, he will be looking forward to meeting the Ghana Athletics Association’s selection criteria for the 2015 All Africa Games and the World Championships in Beijing when the outdoor season begins.
His performance comes only a week after another national athlete Flings Owusu-Agyapong posted a world leading 7.18 in the 60m at the Gotham Cup in New York.
Men's 800 Meters Results
PL Athlete Yr. Team Final HPL
1 Amankwah, Alex
JR Alabama
1:46.86F 1(1)
2 Leslie, Cory Furman Elite 1:47.63F 1(2)
3 Lahbi, Jacopo
SO Alabama
1:48.28F 1(3)
Below is the latest Ghana athletics rankings as at 24th January:
Women:
55m
Janet Amponsah 6.95s 16-Jan Personal Best/2nd Ranked in the World
Doreen Agyei 7.24s 06-Dec
60m
Flings Owusu-Agyapong 7.18s 16-Jan =National Record/World Leader
Janet Amponsah 7.41s 24-Jan Personal Best
Gemma Acheampong 7.49s 06-Dec Personal Best
Shekara Boakye 7.49s 16-Jan Personal Best
Akua Obeng-Akrofi 7.60s 24-Jan Personal Best
Hand Time:
Akua Obeng-Akrofi 7.3s 05-Dec
200m
Janet Amponsah 24.01s 24-Jan
Gemma Acheampong 24.71s 23-Jan
Akua Obeng-Akrofi 25.06s 24-Jan Personal Best
Doreen Agyei 25.09s 06-Dec Personal Best
Shekara Boakye 25.18s 09-Jan Personal Best
Lynette Akai 25. 69s 25-Jan
300m
Gemma Acheampong 39.50s 16-Jan Personal Best
400m
Ama Larbi 57.56s 10-Jan
Bless Dupeh 58.54s 09-Jan
Elizabeth Dadzie 59.07s 04-Dec
500m
Stephanie Aidoo 1.17.28s 16-Jan Personal Best
Bless Dupeh 1.17.63s 09-Jan Personal Best
600m
Bless Dupeh 1.39.63s 04-Dec Personal Best
3000m
Lydia Mato 10.49.31s 09-Jan
5000m
Lydia Mato 17.14.40s 16-Jan Personal Best
60mh
Elizabeth Dadzie 8.59s 24-Jan Personal Best
High Jump
Elizabeth Dadzie 1.55m 06-Dec
Long Jump
Nadia Eke 5.81m 16-Jan Personal Best
Triple Jump
Shot Putt
Obeng Marfo 14.20m 17-Jan Personal Best
Claudia Ababio 13.91m 24-Jan Personal Best
Weight Throw
Claudia Ababio 16.20m 10-Jan Personal Best
Obeng Marfo 16.02m 17-Jan Personal Best
MEN
60m
Allah Laryea Akrong 6.74s 09-Jan
Carrington Akosa 6.89s 24-Jan Personal Best
Solomon Afful 6.89s 24-Jan Personal Best
Emmanuel Dasor 6.92s 17-Jan
Shadrack Adu-Gyamfi 6.95s 09-Jan
200m
Emmanuel Dasor 21.36s 24-Jan Personal Best
Carrington Akosa 22.11s 05-Jan Personal Best
Daniel Gyasi 22.11s 24-Jan Personal Best
Solomon Afful 22.41s 24-Jan Personal Best
Shadrack Adu-Gyamfi 22.59s 09-Jan
400m
Emmanuel Dasor 47.29s 17-Jan Personal Best
Daniel Gyasi 48.40s 24-Jan
600 y
Daniel Gyasi 1.12.48s 17-Jan
600m
Emmanuel Dasor 1.22.24s 04-Dec
800m
Alex Amankwah 1.46.86m 24-Jan =National Record/World Leader
1000m
60mh
Yakubu Ibrahim 8.11s 06-Dec
Atsu Nyamadi 8.41s 04-Dec
Pole Vault
Jordan Yamoah 4.70m 16-Jan
Atsu Nyamadi 3.50m 06-Dec
High Jump
Atsu Nyamadi 1.89m 04-Dec
Long Jump
Atsu Nyamadi 7.17m 04-Dec Personal Best
Triple Jump
Nana Owusu-Nyantekyi 15.34m 07-Dec
Atsu Nyamadi 15.04m 06-Dec Personal Best
Michael Bruce 14.63m 24-Jan Personal Best
Shot Putt
Atsu Nyamadi 14.20m 09-Jan Personal Best
John Ampomah 14.13m 09-Jan Personal Best
