Suwaibou Sanneh The Gambia Sprinter

Born in Jarra Soma in the Lower River region of the Gambia, he attended Jarra Soma Primary School. He proceeded to Pakalinding Upper Basic School where he spent his middle school education. In 2004, he joined Gambia Senior Secondary school. There, his talents as a national athlete were discovered and with the help of his coaches, he represented his school in 2006, during the Inter Secondary Schools athletics championships. He raised the flag of his school for the period he stayed with Gambia Senior Secondary School until 2007 when he graduated.

Whilst at school, he was also a national athlete competing for The Gambia at the junior category where he competed in many championships within the sub-region. His first international experience was earned during the 2006 Dakar Zone II championship in June. This athlete’s first outing earned him three gold medals, one in the 100 meters men, the other in the 200 meters men as well as the medley relay. He was then put under surveillance by the athletics authorities as his timing was under 11 seconds in the 100 meters whilst his 200 meters was a little above 21 seconds.

In July the same year, he represented the Gambia in Cote d’Ivoire in the 100 metres race. Unfortunately, he was trying to recover from his hamstring injury hence not hundred percent fit to compete. Despite his unimproved health condition, he finished 4th. He was joined in the 4 by 100 meters relay by his team mates Isaac Jones, Lamin Camara and Ebrima Ceesay to come back home with a gold medal.

In December 2006, he attended the ZANOCA games in Mali. He dropped in the 100 metres race coming out with 3rd position. He again won gold in the 4 by 100 meters relay with his team mates.

Suwaibou went on in the 2007 Sierra Leone Zone II, he won three silver medals in three events - 100 meters, 200 metres and the medley race.

In the same 2007, this athlete won gold medals in the 100 metres and the 4 by 100 metres races, and he came out with a silver medal in the 200 metres race. The Gambian team had to return home winning the championship. It was the Solidarity Games held in Guinea Bissau.

He was then introduced to Africa’s elite athletics when he competed for the Gambia during the All Africa Games held in Algeria in July last year. He competed in the 100 and 200 metres events. He scored his personal best during the African Games and 0.3 seconds away from equaling the current national record on 100 metres. He finished with a timing of 10.5 seconds whilst the Gambian burned Norwegian Jaysuma Saidy still has the record at 10.2 seconds. This young athlete qualified to the semi finals of the 100 metres but came out 4th hence not qualified for the final.

According to him, I also went to an international outing in Burkina Faso in August 2007 where i finished first in the first hits of the 200 metres and second in the second hits. He went on I also finished 4 in the final. We will give all his activities were he participated up to the last days before departing to Jamaica for a training camp in preparations for 2012 Olympic In2008 Mr Suwaibou Sanneh attended the African championship in Addis Ababa Ethiopia and took first in the hit and was rant 5th in the whole competitions like( competition summary )because according to him ,he went up to semi finals but could not proceeded to the final but later break a personal best of 10.43 in timing . He went on , in the same 2008 I proceeded to Lome Togo for the west African junior championship were I won (four 4) goal medals in 100 mits , 200mits 4x100 and 4x400mits .Emergently from my trip to Togo , I travelled to Guinea Bissau for Zone 11 solidarity senior championship where I participated in 100x 200mits and 4x100mits so in all this two categories in got seven medals within one week .Suwaibou cited that from this two countries alone his achievement is on predictable because he knows that he will do all what he can to make Gambian happy but not easy within one week .However in the same year Suwaibou proceeded to the world junior championship in Bedgoszxy Portland where he went for his first hit and got second and went to semi final , but could not proceed to the final because of heavy rain and it was too cool , the atmosphere was too bad .It could be recalled that Gambia did not qualify for Beijing China Olympic , but were ask to selected two best athletic Male and a Female athletics to attend .Suwaibou Sanneh was selected as a male athletic to represent the Gambia as the best athletic to attend according to IAAF. I competed in the hits and came out with 5th position and could not make it to the second round , then when I came back from Olympic in Beijing ,After I left for Commonwealth youth championship ion Pune India for another hits where I got third in the semi final and second in the final and I was awarded Silver medal and the first Silver medal for the Gambia.