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From running barefoot to a world stage in Rio, here's the story of Ghana's 200m runner
Emmanuel Dasor has had some hard times, but he took it as a motivation to get to his best.
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Hailing from Bolgatanga, the Bachelor of Business Administration student at the Western Kentucky University, USA was born in Akosombo as the youngest of six boys.
The Ghanaian athlete switched his preference from playing soccer to track and field at a very young age.
Dasor has had a tough journey from where he started to participate in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
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The 200m runner who featured in the Inter Schools and Super Zonals during his High School days had to run bare footed at some point of his career due to financial handicaps.
Emmanuel Dasor, one of Ghana’s runners at the Rio Olympic Games explains his ordeal saying:
“When I started I was a soccer player and it changed. I felt the passion of doing track and field. Even with that I had to go be by my sports master because I didn’t wanna do it. But then I had a zeal in me I could do it.”
Dasor competed with the best runner in his school and beat him on his first trial. The runner asked for another three rematches which the Rio 2016 representative for Ghana beat him over and over.
“That was when Emmanuel Dasor realised he could do it.”
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The road which has not been all smooth for Emmanuel Dasor saw some hard times in his journey to be the best he can in track and field.
“Back in Junior High School, I used to run barefoot. I had no [track] spikes. It got to a point I had to go and hire spikes from somebody. And up till now, I still owe the person. I haven’t paid the person yet. He took my medal from me because I didn’t pay him.”
The runner promised himself the tracks will be his home when he trained at the Kumasi Sports Stadium after his acceptance at TI Ahmadiyya Senior High School.
“Ever since, I train hard. No matter what goes on, I keep up. I make sure I’m self-motivated myself because I’ve been through a little bit hard times. Financially and where to sleep but I didn’t let that pull me down.”
Dasor who won a scholarship in 2013 to the United States of America to develop his talent is one of the 16 representatives for Team Ghana in Rio.
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He booked a ticket to the Olympic Games with a personal best time record of 20.49s at the Cape Coast Stadium.
“Going to Rio is better than who I was yesterday. I have to go out there and run my personal best and represent my native country well.”
Team Ghana’s Emmanuel Dasor will take to the tracks alongside Bernardo Baloyes from Colombia, Anaso Jobodwana from South Africa, Ameer Webb from the United States, Shavez Hart from the Bahamas, Yohan Blake from Jamaica, Robin Erewa from Germany and Bruno Hortelano from Spain.
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