Blessing Afrifah’s record pales in comparison to only two men in the U20 age group.
Blessing Afrifah is one of the world’s most promising sprinters. EPA / AOP
In the Finnish chamber, you rarely see the same great sprinting talent as the Israeli one Blessing Afrifah19.
The 200-meter specialist sprinted to the semi-finals at the under-23 European Championships, jogging in his supreme solitude with a time of 20.65.
Afrifah’s record is a whopping 19.96. Only Usain Bolt (19.92) and American super-promise Erriyon Knighton (19.49) have run a half-track faster under the age of 20.
No wonder Afrifah has been compared to Bolt, Jamaica’s legendary ME man.
– It is a great honor for me. He is my idol. I have always liked to look at him and compare myself to him, says the sprinter.
Passion problem
Afrifah was born in Israel, but her parents are Ghanaian. So he managed to get an Israeli passport only at the age of 16. The process was long and really heavy.
– I had to try to convince the Israeli authorities and show them my abilities. They gave me a passport, and now I get to represent Israel, says Afrifah.
– I was really happy and motivated when it happened. I wanted so badly to represent this country. Now I have a chance to do that.
However, the rest of the runner’s family still does not have Israeli citizenship.
– I hope we get all the passports. It would make things easier, he says.