AdvertisementIsraeli-born Ghanaian sprinter Blessing Akwasi Afrifah is authoritative after-effects at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, apery Israel on the world's better antic stage

His adventure to the Olympics, however, has been far from ordinary

Born and aloft in Tel Aviv, Afrifah's parents are Ghanaian Akan immigrants who confused to Israel a decade afore his birth. His ancestor formed at the Ghanaian embassy, while his mother was a cleaner

Despite actuality built-in and aloft in Israel, Afrifah faced abundant challenges to defended Israeli citizenship

In a 2022 account with Haaretz, he bidding annoyance at actuality advised as a greenhorn in his own country. "People actuality in Israel fabricated me 'not an Israeli' because my parents came from about else. The minute you accept citizenship, again you are advised Israeli, but if you don't accept it, you are not allotment of the 'Israeliness'," he said

After a continued and backbreaking battle, including actual a displacement attack in 2010 and ambrosial to the government for citizenship, Afrifah assuredly anchored Israeli citizenship in 2020. He after served in the Israel Defense Forces in 2022

The 20-year-old sprinter has bound risen through the ranks, acceptable the first-ever Israeli to win a gold badge at the U-23 European Championship in 2023. He holds the Israeli civic almanac for the 200m with a time of 20.95 seconds

Afrifah's sister, Mercy, is additionally a able sprinter who competes in the 100m and 200m