Blessing Afrifah
Afrifah in 2022
Personal information
Native nameבלסינג אקווסי אפריפה
Full nameBlessing Akwasi Afrifah
Born (2003-10-26) 26 October 2003
Tel Aviv, Israel
Sport
CountryIsrael
SportAthletics
EventSprints
ClubMaccabi Tel Aviv[1]
Coached byIgor Balon
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Israel
World U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Cali 200 metres
European U23 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Espoo 200 metres
Updated on 16 July 2023.

Blessing Akwasi Afrifah (Hebrew: בלסינג אקווסי אפריפה, born 26 October 2003) is an Israeli track and field athlete who specializes in the sprints. He is the 200 metres gold medallist at the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2022 and the European Athletics U23 Championships in 2023.

Biography

Blessing Akwasi Afrifah was born on 26 October 2003 in Tel Aviv, Israel, the city where he was raised, to parents of Akan ethnicity from Ghana.[1][2][3][4] His father came to Israel as an employee of the Ghanaian consulate.[3] As a child and teenager, he studied at Ohel Shem high school in Ramat Gan and briefly played soccer, then turned to athletics at the age of 11.[5] At the age of 14, he began working with national coach Igor Balon.[4]

Career

At the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, Afrifah won the 200 m in a photo finish with a championship record time of 19.954, just 0.006 seconds ahead of Botswanan Letsile Tebogo.[6] Afrifah is the first Israeli to run the 200 metres race in under 20 seconds.[7]

Next year, at the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo, Finland, he won the 200 m with a time of 20.67, just 0.01 second ahead of Dutch Raphael Bouju.[8]

Personal life

In 2010, Afrifah was granted permanent residence status following a government decision not to deport children of foreign workers born in Israel. At the age of 16, he appealed to Israel's Minister Aryeh Deri for Israeli citizenship.[9] When asked about his oath and feelings when he received his Israeli identity document, he replied: "I’m an Israeli, I was born here, my friends are here and don’t know any other option. I’m no different from my friends, which are residents of Israel. I want to represent Israel and win medals." He was then given full citizenship in 2020 and stated: "I can’t describe how excited I am, I couldn’t even eat due to my excitement. I have more confidence and motivation to win achievements for Israel."[10]

As an Israeli citizen conscripted by law and reaching 18 years of age, Afrifah got drafted to the Israel Defense Forces in 2022 and did a more convenient and shorter service limited to high-ranked sportspeople and artists.[10]

Career statistics

Figures from World Athletics profile.[11]

Personal bests

SurfaceDistanceTime (s)W (m/s)DateLocationNotes
Outdoor 60 metres 6.88 +0.7 21 January 2021 Tel Aviv, Israel
100 metres 10.20 +1.7 21 May 2023 Tel Aviv, Israel =NR
150 metres 15.57 +0.6 27 April 2023 Tel Aviv, Israel
200 metres 19.96 −1.0 4 August 2022 Cali, Colombia AU20R NR NU20R
300 metres 33.26 5 February 2022 Tel Aviv, Israel
4 × 100 metres relay 39.66 — 21 June 2023 Chorzów, Poland
Indoor 60 metres 6.92 — 12 February 2022 Belgrade, Serbia
200 metres 20.95 — 11 February 2023 Metz, France NR

International championships

Representing  Israel
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTimeWind (m/s)Notes
2021 Balkan Championships Smederevo, Serbia 5th (F) 200 metres 21.28 +0.7
3rd 4 x 100 metres relay 40.12 — SB
European U20 Championships Tallinn, Estonia 4th (F) 200 metres 21.01 +0.7
7th (F) 4 x 100 metres relay 41.18 —
World U20 Championships Nairobi, Kenya 7th (F) 200 metres 21.03 +0.5
2022 Balkan U20 Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia 7th (F) 60 metres 6.92i — PB
Balkan Championships Craiova, Romania 1st 200 metres 20.98 −1.9
5th (F) 4 x 100 metres relay 40.11 —
World U20 Championships Cali, Colombia 1st 200 metres 19.96 [.954] −1.0 AU20R CR NR NU20R PB
European Championships Munich, Germany 7th (F) 200 metres 20.69 −0.3
2023 European Team Championships Chorzów, Poland DQ 100 metres — — —
2nd 4 x 100 metres relay 39.66 — PB
European U23 Championships Espoo, Finland 1st 200 metres 20.67 −1.1
World Championships Budapest, Hungary 33rd (h) 200 m 20.73 −1.4

200 m progression

Year Time Location Date Notes
2019 21.67 Tel Aviv, Israel 25 July
2020 21.17 Tel Aviv, Israel 28 July
2021 20.94 Tallinn, Estonia 16 July
2022 19.96 Cali, Colombia 4 August AU20R CR NR NU20R
2023 20.42 La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland 2 July

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "בלסינג אקווסי אפריפה". Israeli Athletic Association. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  2. ↑ "Blessing Akwasi AFRIFAH | Athlete profile". European Athletic Association. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 Rakovsky, Ido (28 July 2022). "הוא שובר שוב ושוב את שיאי ישראל, אך עדיין חולם על אזרחות למשפחתו" [He repeatedly breaks Israel's records, but still dreams of citizenship for his family]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 Halickman, Joshua (12 August 2022). "Afrifah a true blessing for Israeli sprinting". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  5. ↑ Horovitz, Michael (5 August 2022). "Israel's Blessing Afrifah wins gold in 200m dash at under-20 world championship". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  6. ↑ Mulvenney, Nick (5 August 2022). "Israeli Afrifa stuns Tebogo to win 200m at world juniors". Reuters. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  7. ↑ "Israeli runner Blessing Afrifah wins gold at World U20 Championships". I24NEWS. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  8. ↑ "Alasaari adds to Finland's title haul with surprise pole vault victory in Espoo 2023". European Athletic Association. 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  9. ↑ Porat, Avinoam (12 February 2020). "Teenage runner faces hurdle to Israeli citizenship". Ynet. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  10. 1 2 Porat, Avinoam (30 August 2022). "Israeli gold medalist sprinter gets drafted to IDF". Ynet. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  11. ↑ "Blessing Akwasi AFRIFAH | Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
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