Team Ghana surprised themselves and the entire world when they clocked 37.79 seconds to set a new national record and qualify for the finals of the Men’s 4x100m, arguably the most competitive event in the world of athletic competitions. In our secondary school days, the winner of this race got the bragging rights for the entire competition, irrespective of the accumulated points or the school’s position on the league table. Before proceeding, kindly watch how the Ghana quartet fared and congratulate them. Unfortunately, athletic nations like Great Britain and South Africa couldn’t finish that race although they all started together. The 4x100m relay is basically a team of four (4) working together by running around the field once, with each taking a 100m dash and exchanging batons till the 400m is completed. Synergy is the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. So, working together to create something greater than either of you could do alone is what synergy is all about.
In athletics, running around the field once is approximately 400m using a standard sporting arena. The current men’s world record and Olympic record is held by Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa with a time of 43.03 seconds. This is the fastest time a male has run the 400m or completed a lap around the field competitively. Indeed, Ghana’s all-time best in the 400m race is held by Joseph Taylor, with a time of 44.98 seconds. However, when four Ghanaian men came together with unity and a sense of purpose to achieve the same goal, they achieved a time of 37.79 seconds. Yes, of course, the stamina fresh limbs bring to bear for each of the 100m in a quartet can’t be compared with a single person running around the field.
Mysteriously, even if you add the all-time 100m best of each of the four in the Ghana squad, the total doesn’t even match the new record all of them have set together. The team consisted of Ibrahim Fuseini, Benjamin Azamati, Paul Amoah, and Abdul Saminu. The last time I checked, each of them’s all-time best 100m dash time was as follows: Ibrahim Fuseini, 9.85s, and Azamati, 9.93s. Paul Amoah’s best 100m is 9.94s, and Abdul-Rasheed Saminu’s is 9.86s. Interestingly, if you add their all-time best times together of 100m each to make the 400m lap, you get 39.71s.
Meanwhile, the new national record they set only a few days ago is 37.79 seconds, comprising Ibrahim Fuseini (10.57), Benjamin Azamati (8.74), Joseph Paul Amoah (9.41), and Abdul-Rasheed Saminu (9.07). In summary, they have achieved together something greater than each of them could do alone. Team Ghana came first in the semifinals, Heat 2, beating the Netherlands with a time of 37.95 seconds, although the latter also qualified for the grand finale. However, in the grand finale made of the USA, FRANCE, CANADA, GERMANY, GHANA, the NETHERLANDS, AUSTRALIA, AND JAPAN, the Netherlands beat Ghana to take the bronze medal, with Ghana placing fourth. So, Ghana clocked 37.79 seconds at the semifinals but 37.93 seconds at the grand finale, while the Netherlands recorded 37.95 seconds at the semifinals but 37.81 seconds at the finals.
If the Ghanaians had run like they did in the semifinal, they would have beaten the Netherlands to win the bronze medal. It is, however, heartwarming to learn that Ghana beat Germany, France, Japan, and Australia. Unfortunately, Team Australia qualified and was fortunate to be among the top 8 finalists, but they were unable to finish the race in the grand finale. The following lessons are gleaned for our Christian pilgrimage;
- If organizations and institutions have benefited from Synergy, then there’s nothing that believers who work together with a unity of purpose cannot achieve. Indeed, it took God Himself to break the resolve and the power of synergy in the Tower of Babel Project. (Genesis 11:6).
- Not all the athletes in Ghana’s quartet squad ran their personal 100m best, as Ibrahim, for instance, achieved 10.57s, which is below his personal best of 9.85s. Benjamin Azamati, however, clocked 8.74s, with Amoah and Saminu making up for what Ibrahim lost. In the end, they did what each of them couldn’t do by themselves. God knows why He created all of us the way He did and didn’t pile all the skills into a single person, but distributed them in a way that makes the power of togetherness very crucial and critical. We always cover each other’s weaknesses when we stay united as a group to achieve a common goal. The result is always excellent, as the final product has no regrets about individual faults, but everything to celebrate.
- We may display our individual brilliance, talents, or gifts. Still, it is the power and magic of togetherness that enabled Benjamin Azamati, for example, to run a 100m in under 9 seconds.
- Therefore, our individual God-given potentials reach their optimum heights whenever we find people who can share in our vision and work together with us. One man chasing a thousand and two putting ten thousand to flight, as described in Deuteronomy 32:30, is a good illustration of the power of synergy since the simple proportion doesn’t make mathematical sense. Meaning the two can achieve far more than the best of each of them combined, owing to how the synergy factor can extract much deeper the full potential of people in a group assignment.
- Ghana outrun the Netherlands in the semifinals, but in the grand finale, the latter pushed Ghana to the fourth position by placing third and winning the only medal Ghana got close to winning. Therefore, no two situations or scenarios must be compared. Make the best of every situation and leave the rest to God. If you worked with all your heart and gave your best, posterity would be the best judge. Many reasons could account for why the Ghana team couldn’t repeat the time they clocked in the semifinals. So, give your best today, as tomorrow is unknown.
- Ghana beating developed nations like Germany, France, Japan, and Australia in the grand finale means that hard work pays after all. Are you tired of hard work? Please don’t give up yet, because unimaginable successes and mind-boggling testimonies await all who continue to trust God as they put in their best possible effort.
- In the semifinals, Ghana beat the Netherlands, but the tables turned in the finals, although they couldn’t match the time Ghana had run in the semifinals. Today may be the turn of your friend, so fret not. Your time will come if you stay focused and continue to work hard. You can do better tomorrow than the one who outperformed you yesterday or today. Just stay focused.
- The anchor man for the Australian quartet side received the baton from the third runner but somehow stopped running for reasons that are yet to be known in the coming days. So, not all who qualify for the grand finale necessarily win the prize or even finish the race set for them. It is great to make it to the last eight (8) or be selected amongst the prestigious few. However, let’s be mindful that real success is not only finishing the race, but also running in such a way that you win the prize. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24). Let us stay humble at all times, learning from the mistakes and lapses of those who began the Christian journey joyfully but struggled to complete the race. May God grant all of us the needed wisdom and strict discipline required of us to complete our individual races to God’s glory.
- I may not be an athlete or look like one, but kindly pick a few lessons from the above write-up and share them with your loved ones, especially the younger generation. Apostle Paul wasn’t an athlete, a boxer, or a sports celebrity, yet the Holy Spirit helped him vividly illustrate the Christian pilgrimage through the disciplines of athletics and boxing. In the end, he said, “I have fought a good fight and have finished the race, I have kept the faith…” (2 Timothy 4:7).
Thank you and stay blessed!
Written by Apostle James Orhin Agyin
