History-making Suwaibou Sanneh into 100m semis

The decision to send sprinter Suwaibou Sanneh on a pre-Olympics training at the High Performance Training Centre in Jamaica has already paid dividends as the Gambian sprinter has broken yet another national record on his way to the semi-finals of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London on Saturday.

Suwaibou broke the Gambia national record formerly held by former Gambian sprinter and now of the Norway, Jaysuma Saidy Ndure, following his timing of 10.22 seconds in securing Olympic qualification to the XXX Olympiad in London after the Deggu Games earlier this year.

The country’s best sprinter, who spent the last three years training with the likes of Asafa Powell, Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake at Jamaica’s High Performance Training Centre in Kingston, went one step better at the weekend, running 10.21 seconds to finish as one of the best losers in the men’s 100 meters event round one.

Speaking to Pointsports shortly after his race at the Media Lounge of the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, Suwaibou Sanneh said he is very proud that he has yet set another national record for the small West African country.

“At this moment I cannot tell you whether I cannot qualify to the semi-finals because our race was very fast and they have to decide at the end of the races as to who qualify for the next round but I did my personal best, which is a national record and I am very proud of that,” Suwaibou said immediately after the race, adding that he could do more than that.

Immediately after Suwaibou’s participation was confirmed in the semi-finals, which event was taking place at the Olympic Stadium by the time of going to press, Suwaibou again spoke to Pointsports, saying he has nothing to lose having secured his pre-Olympics wish of securing a semi-final berth.

Elsewhere, Saruba Colley also broke a national record in the women’s 100-meter event running 12.06 seconds but couldn’t negotiate her way past the first round of the event.

Saruba earlier finished second in the preliminaries with a timing of 12.22 seconds.

Despite breaking a national record, Saruba is out of the London Olympics. Though she couldn’t make it to the semi-finals, the 23-year-old should be encouraged for her heroics in her first-ever Olympic Games.

If given the necessary support, Saruba can go to another level before the next Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.