Ghanaian swimmer, Abeiku Jackson, finished first in his men’s 100m Butterfly Heat 2 on Thursday morning.
The 21-year-old clocked 53.39 seconds, finished ahead of India’s Prakash Sajan who recorded a time of 53.45 seconds.
Jackson clocking 53.39 seconds is a new national record.
However, Jackson’s efforts were not good enough as the rest of the swimmers in the other heats recorded better times of 52 seconds or lower.
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In all, 16 swimmers made it to the semi-finals of the event and eight will progress to the final which will take place on Saturday, July 31.
Jackson started his heat in style, dominating the race from the first turn to the finish line.
A determined Jackson in lane 2 had hoped to make it to his first-ever semi-final in the Olympic Games by posting one of the 16 quickest times in the heats, but his efforts were not enough as the other heats recorded faster times than his.