By Marvin Luu
UC Irvine may have representation at the 2016 Summer Olympic games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil as sophomore Persis William-Mensah has elected to compete for a spot on a 4×100 relay team for Ghana, her native country.
To do so, William-Mensah will travel to Durban, South Africa this week for the 20th African Senior Track and Field Championships, which begins Wednesday and concludes Sunday. Along with attempting to earn a spot on the 4×100 team, she is also set to partake in the 100-meters event.
For the ‘Eaters this past season, William-Mensah has emerged as one of the program’s most elite competitors. At the Big West Conference Championships, William-Mensah blistered through the final leg of a 4×100 relay that would go on to strike first place with a time of 44:51—the second fastest time in Big West Conference Championship history.
In the 100-meters, William-Mensah came up just a bit short of toppling Long Beach State’s Courtne’ Davis—who placed first at 11:50 in the event—with a time of 11:55.
As William-Mensah hopes to capture a spot on the 4×100 relay team this week, Ghana must be considered one of the top 16 teams from around the world competing in the 4×100 relay to qualify for a trip to Rio de Janeiro.
The 2016 Summer Olympic games will officially begin with an opening ceremony on Friday, August 5th and will draw to a close Sunday, August 21st.
