CAA Region II Championships: Gadayi eyes sprint glory

By Emmanuel Austin Baah On Aug 12, 2025

Ghana’s sprint king, Edwin Kwabla Gadayi, is primed and ready to defend his 100 metres crown when West Africa’s finest athletes descend on the University of Ghana Stadium for the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Region II Senior Championships.

The two-day meet, originally slated for August 15–16, has been rescheduled to August 18–19 following three days of national mourning in honour of eight government officials and Ghana Airforce crew who perished in last week’s tragic helicopter crash. A state funeral will be held on Friday, August 15, in Accra.

For Gadayi, the 2024 Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Male Athlete of the Year, the change in dates does not alter the mission to keep his 100m title on home tracks.

“I’m well prepared and looking forward to defending my title — to repeat what I did last year. That’s my expectation and I’m working hard towards it,” he told the Graphic Sports in a telephone interview.

The 24-year-old blazed to glory at last year’s edition, clocking an electrifying 10.07 seconds to beat Nigeria’s Israel Oko and Mali’s Sissoko Fode in front of an ecstatic home crowd.

He returns to the track fresh from a hard-fought bronze medal in the 200m at the star-studded Nigerian Athletics Championships in Lagos last week, a meet that featured global names including women’s 100m hurdles world record-holder Tobi Amusan. Gadayi clocked 20.85 seconds in the final, behind African Games 400m champion Chidi Okezie, who stormed to a personal best of 20.62s.

“It was special because all their top US-based sprinters were there. It was tough,” Gadayi said. “But I didn’t give up. I knew I could face such challenges, so I embraced them. It was fun and a great experience.”

Now, the Ghanaian speedster is calling for the nation’s backing as he bids to defend his crown on home soil.

“I’m appealing to Ghanaians to come to the Legon Stadium in their numbers to support us. It shouldn’t be only football that they get behind.

Track and field needs the same energy. Let’s make it a great atmosphere,” he urged.

Author

Emmanuel Austin Baah

My name is Emmanuel Austin Baah, professionally known as “Okocha”. I am a seasoned Ghanaian journalist, broadcaster and football commentator from Senya Bereku in the Central Region. My work reflects a strong commitment to factual reporting, ethical journalism and the continuous promotion of Ghanaian sports.

I am currently pursuing my studies at Cape Coast Technical University, building on a solid foundation of media practice and communication. I previously served as a sports producer at Radio Gold (90.5) and Montie FM (100.1) in Accra, where I was actively involved in editorial planning, programme production, live commentary and in-depth sports analysis.

Presently, I am a Senior Writer at SportsNetGhana.com, a role in which I produce well-researched features, match reports, athlete profiles and analytical pieces. My work consistently highlights emerging talents, captures key sporting developments and contributes to shaping informed sports discourse in Ghana.

Over the course of my career, I have covered numerous major sporting events both locally and internationally. Among these, the highlight remains my coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a significant milestone that strengthened my expertise in global football reporting and enhanced my understanding of international sports dynamics.

I am widely recognised for my clarity of analysis, engaging commentary style and strong command of both local and global football trends. Beyond the newsroom, I participate in community initiatives aimed at developing young sports journalists and promoting youth engagement in sports.

For professional engagements, media collaborations or enquiries, please contact me on 0265284330.

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