An Israeli sprinter who won a gold medal at an international under-20 event earlier this month is starting yet another challenge after being drafted to the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday morning.
Blessing Afrifa, 18, also competed at the 2022 European Championships in Munich in the 200-meter sprint, finishing seventh. Two weeks prior, he scored a historic gold medal win in the Under-20 World Championships.
“I’m very excited and happy to join the IDF. I want to serve while I contribute in my own way,” Afrifa said.
“I’m going to serve with people who encouraged me during my sporting career, and want to contribute as much as they did. I hope the service will be an interesting period for me, and provide me with challenges I don’t usually face in sports.
“The results of the under-20 championships surprised me. I was expecting to win the silver or bronze during the finals of the 200-meter dash, but not the gold. Some of the sprinters I faced had very high potential.”
Afrifa was born in 2003 to parents who immigrated from Ghana, named Prince and Cynthia. He has a younger sister, Mercy, who is also an athlete. During his childhood, he aspired to play professional soccer, but his family's financial issues made him give up on that dream. No one, however, expected Afrifa to become one of the best sprinters in Europe.
He and his family struggled to receive Israeli citizenship. In 2010, his family received a residency permit following a governmental decision to hold deportation of migrant workers' Israeli-born children. Later, he received an Israeli ID, but still couldn’t represent the country in international sports.
At that time, he said: “I’m an Israeli, I was born here, my friends are here and don’t know any other option. I’m no different from my friends, who are residents of Israel. I want to represent Israel and win medals.”
Afrifa was given full citizenship in 2020, with the aid of lawyer Tomer Varsha and then Interior Minister Aryeh Deri. “I can’t describe how excited I am, I couldn’t even eat due to my excitement,” he said after receiving his citizenship. “I have more confidence and motivation to win achievements for Israel.”
He began competing at international championships as a teen. In his first competition in the 100-meter dash during the 2021 European Junior Championships, he got into the finals, where he won fourth place.
Afrifa has been the fastest person in Israel since he was 16. He is not only the youngest decorated sprinter in Israel’s history, but also the fastest in the 100 and 200-meter categories. His recent achievements could well place him in the top 10 best sprinters in the world.