Gomda Abdul Rauf
GOMDA ABDUL RAUF, a final-year General Arts student at St. John’s Grammar School, has emerged as the fastest male sprinter among second-cycle schools in the Greater Accra Region, cementing his place as one of Ghana’s most promising young athletes.
Admitted to St. John’s Grammar in the 2022/2023 academic year, Rauf wasted no time joining the school’s athletics team. Though he initially struggled to keep pace with the seasoned sprinters, his determination and relentless training quickly transformed him into a standout competitor.
Abdul Rauf’s rise has not only cushioned his school’s dominance in sprinting but also pushed his senior teammates to elevate their performances, resulting in back-to-back standout seasons for the Achimota-based institution.
At the school level, Abdul Rauf now dominates nearly every sprint event, excelling in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m, and 4x200m races. His dominance extended to the zonal and regional stages, where he captured gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4x200m relays, while narrowly missing gold in the 4x100m at the Borteyman Sports Stadium — a finish many spectators believed his team had won outright.
With personal best times of 10.72 seconds in the 100m and 22.32 seconds in the 200m, Abdul Rauf claimed the title of Greater Accra’s fastest male student-athlete at this year’s Regional Sports Festival, held at the Legon Sports Stadium. His achievements have elevated St. John’s Grammar’s reputation, drawing nationwide attention to the school’s athletics program.
Inspired by Jamaican sprint legend Yohan Blake, Abdul Rauf dreams of competing on the world stage and putting Ghana on the global athletics map. Coaches and school authorities believe that with the right support and resources, he could develop into one of the nation’s elite sprinters.
BY Wletsu Ransford