Gambia’s sprinter Adama Jammeh will race with renowned athletes, Wallace Spearmon and Warren Weir on Tuesday, August 25, 2015 in the 200meters of the 2015 IAAF World Championship in the Birds Nest stadium in Beijing, China.
Jammeh will be running in heat six (6) alongside Karol Zalewski of Poland, Robin Erewa of Germany, Mosito Lehata of Lesotho, Daniel Talbot of Great Britain, Wallace Spearmon of USA, Warren Weir of Jamaica and Likourgos-Stefanos Tsakaas of Germany.
Adama’s heat is scheduled for 11:30am and in case he progressed to the semi-final he will be in action at 12:30pm local time.
Looking at the personal best of Jammeh’s opponents, he will have to run his heart out to stand a chance of progressing into the next stage of the race but the young man is optimistic of pulling out a surprise in the heats.
American, Wallace Spearmon and Jamaican, Warren Weir will go into the race with personal best of 19.65 and 19.79 respectively. Tsakonas of Germany goes into the race with personal best of 20.09 while Baniel Talbot and Meosito Lehata of Germany and Leshoto will both go into the race with personal best of 20.30 and 20.36 respectively. Another German, Robin Erewa and Polish Karol Zalewshi all clocked 20.46 and 20.41 respectively prior to the world championship while Gambia’s Adama Jammeh goes into the race with personal best of 20.59.
But speaking to Nna Gambia News Online, Gambia’s only representative in the IAAF World Championship, said he feel much prepared and confident.
He said starting from lane three isn’t important in 200meters because all lanes are equal but noted that he is happy to run with world champions such as Wallace and Warren
He added: “My target is to move to the next step of the race.
“It is also my desire to improve in my personal best with the intention of qualifying to the upcoming Olympic.”
Asked if he is anyway nervous knowing that he will be flanged by world-class athletes, the young man said, “No way.”
He added: “They are athletes like me so I just need to push harder and I am in the right frame of mind to do that.”
The prison officer who has set his eyes in qualifying to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics used the opportunity to that the president of the republic, the director general of the Gambia Prison Service, his family, friends and loved ones for the support they have and continue to give him while calling on the entire nation to pray for him saying; “With prayers, the sky is the limit.”