Kenneth Ekow Andam (born 8 January 1976) is a retired Ghanaian sprinter[3] who competed in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.[4] Andam was an All-American in track and field while competing for Brigham Young University.[5]

Kenneth Andam
Personal information
Native nameEkow
Full nameKenneth Ekow Andam
NicknameSky
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States
Born (1976-01-08) 8 January 1976 (age 48)
Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana
Alma materBrigham Young University
Colorado Technical University
St. Augustine's College, Cape Coast
OccupationAthlete
Years active1992 - 2005
Employer(s)WorldVuer, Inc.
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight73.00 kg (161 lb)
Other interestsEntrepreneur
Websitehttp://www.kennethandam.com
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportTrack and field
Event(s)100 metres
200 metres
4 × 100 metres relay
Long jump
Triple Jump
University teamCougars
Coached byWillard Hirschi
RetiredRetired
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)100 m: 10.12 sec (2000)[1]
200 m: 20.47 sec (2001)[1]
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Ghana
African Championships in Athletics
Gold medal – first place 2000 Algiers 4×400 m relay[2]
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Algiers 100 m[2]


Men's athletics
Representing  Ghana
African Junior Championships in Athletics
Gold medal – first place 1995 Ivory Coast triple jump [2]
Updated on 24 August 2012.

Personal edit

A native of Takoradi, Ghana,[6] Kenneth Ekow Andam[7] was born 8 January 1976.[1] His parents are Kenneth and Janet Andam,[8] and his religious affiliation has been reported to be Mormonism.[9]

Athletics edit

Junior athlete edit

In 1995, Andam won the triple jump at the African Junior Athletics Championships in the Bouaké, Ivory Coast (15.63 metres)[10] and the West African championships in the Long Jump in Banjul, Gambia. He also set an inter-regional triple jump record of 16.02 meters in WA, a township in the northern part of Ghana during the 1995 inter-regional championships and was awarded the best male athlete of the competition that year.

Collegiate career edit

Andam attended Brigham Young University where he competed on the Cougars' track and field team in the 100 metres, 200 metres, 4 × 100 metres relay, and the long jump.[11] As of 2012, he holds top ten marks for BYU in each event, including a school record in the 4 × 100 relay set in 1999 with Ghanaian teammate Leonard Myles-Mills (38.88 seconds).[11] Andam is ranked third on BYU's all-time best list behind Frank Fredericks and Myles-Mills, and third behind Fredericks and Oluyemi Kayode.[12][13]

Accredited to Andam are Western Athletic Conference (WAC) awards, including freshman of the year both indoor and outdoor, Mountain West Conference (MWC) Awards and records for track & field and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All American Honors. As of 2011, he holds Mountain West Conference all-time records in the indoor 60 metres and 200 meters, and the outdoor 100 meters and 200 meters.[14][15]

In 1999, Andam was ranked 11th in the nation in the 100 metres and 7th in the 200 metres[16] and was the WAC champion in the long jump as well as the 4 X 100 relay.[17] In the long jump, he was injured upon landing and was unable to compete in the 60 and 20 metres events.[18] At the 1999 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Boise, Idaho, he advance with Myles-Mills to the semi-finals of the 200 metres and his 4 X 100 relay team, ranked No. 1 in the nation, qualified for the finals with the fastest semi-final time.[19] Andam was injured before the finals, and BYU's relay team eventually finished third in the nation.[20][21]

Andam was injured with a stress fracture[22] in January 2000, but recovered to post performances that twice earned him the title of the Mountain West Conference Men's Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week.[23][24] That season, he was the MWC champion in the 100 and 200 metres, and qualified in the 100 metres and 4 X 100 for the 2000 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Durham, North Carolina.[6][25]

At the 2001 Mountain West Conference championships, Andam earned the Men's High Point Award.[26] Prior to the 2001 NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene Oregon, Andam was ranked No. 8 in the nation for the 100 metres.[27][28] In the finals, he posted a time of 10.39 to finish in 7th.[29]

International competition edit

In 1999, Andam represented Ghana in the 200 metres at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain.[30] He finished sixth in his preliminary heat (21.31 seconds) and failed to advance to the quarter-finals.[31] The following year at the 2000 African Championships in Algiers, Andam earned a bronze medal in the 100 metres (10.33 seconds) as well as a gold medal on Ghana's 4 × 100 relay team (39.90 seconds).[2] At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, he represented Ghana in the 4 X 100; however, his team failed to finish in their qualifying heat.[9][32] Andam also competed in the 100 metres at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Canada.[33][34] In his preliminary heat, he finished third in 10.40 to qualify for the quarter-finals.[35] In the quarter finals, Andam narrowly missed qualifying for the semi-finals with a fourth-place finish in 10.26.[36]

Other ventures edit

Andam has three books published by AuthorHouse called the Scarlet Minor Chronicles which is a series of five books with the last two books still under development.[37]

Andam founded WorldVuer Inc.,[38] a media communications company that has developed proprietary technologies for communicating bandwidth intensive data. Andam also co-founded Globa, Inc.[39] with Johan Meyer to provide mobile banking and mobile remittance to Africans across the continent and their relatives living abroad. Andam also founded Payodd,[40] a merchant processing and mobile transaction platform supplier to consumers and business globally, to provide the flexibility in payment processing that merchants needed to reduce their cost of acquiring and generating revenues for their businesses. He is also founder of OS Petro, Inc.,[41] which is an oil and gas company with concessions and reserves in Ghana and Namibia. Andam is also founder and chairman of SIDE EQUITY,[42] a company that funds projects in the technology, natural resources, and consumables sector. Andam founded Sleek Media Group.[43] Andam is also founder of Beverly Air LTD, a real estate development company focused on community development projects in Ghana and across Africa.[44]

On January 10, 2018, Andam pled guilty in Utah's Fourth District Court to Securities Fraud in connection with investments in Globa, Inc. He failed to appear for his scheduled sentencing, triggering a statewide warrant to be issued for his arrest after his attorney's motion to continue the sentencing was denied on 4/3/2018.[45][46] Andam's counsel has filed a motion to withdraw the guilty plea. An evidentiary hearing on that motion has been scheduled for May 8, 2018. Andam is currently a fugitive from the law, as he pleaded guilty to securities fraud in criminal proceeding (State of Utah v. Kenneth Ekow Andam, Case No.151401901, Fourth District Court, Utah County, State of Utah), but failed to appear for his sentencing on June 1, 2018.[47]

Athletic record edit

Outdoor edit

Distance Time (seconds) Wind Location Date
100 metres 10.12[48] + 0.4 m/s Utah June 2001
200 metres 20.47 + 2.0 m/s Utah May 1999
Long jump 7.67 m + 1.2 m/s Los Angeles May 1998
Triple jump 16.02 m + 0.0 m/s Ghana May 1995

Indoor edit

Event Best Location Date
55 metres 6.12 s Idaho February 1998
60 metres 6.59 s Utah March 2003
200 metres 21.07 s Colorado Springs February 1998
Long jump 7.62 m Colorado Springs February 1998

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Kenneth Andam at World Athletics  . Retrieved 24, August 2012
  2. ^ a b c d Athletics Weekly. "AFRICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS". GBRATHLETICS.COM. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Meet Kenny Andam; The Entrepreneur Extraordinaire, Inventor, Published Author, Etc". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  4. ^ "Kenneth Andam - Famous Mormons". famousmormons.net. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  5. ^ Andam, Kenneth (1998). "Personal Best". Herald Extra. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
  6. ^ a b "Eight Cougars Qualify For NCAA Outdoor Championships;Hirschi to End 48-Year Career at BYU | The Official Site of BYU Athletics". Byucougars.com. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  7. ^ "Kennethandam |". Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  8. ^ Kenneth Andam. "Kenneth Andam Athlete Profile | The Official Site of BYU Athletics". Byucougars.com. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  9. ^ a b "Mormon News for WE 29Sep00: Track & Field Athletes Finish". Mormonstoday.com. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  10. ^ "African Junior Championships". GBRATHLETICS.COM. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Andam Leaves Robison Competition in Dust". BYU Track & Field. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University. 2000-04-22. Archived from the original on 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  12. ^ BYU. "BYU". Brigham Young University. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  13. ^ "BYU". byucougars.com. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  14. ^ Writer, NewsNet Staff (2001-02-25). "BYU men sweep MWC track and field championship". The Daily Universe. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  15. ^ conference champion records
  16. ^ John Ahlander (18 May 1999). "News Article - Tracksters Set to Compete for WAC Outdoor Championships". CougarFan.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  17. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2012-08-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ "BYU NewsNet - Myles-Mills breaks 12-year-old NCAA record". Newsnet.byu.edu. 21 February 1999. Archived from the original on 26 May 2007. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  19. ^ Combined AP and special reports (3 June 1999). "Stanford takes lead in men's track BYU, USU, SUU have athletes advance to finals". Deseret News. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  20. ^ "BYU Turns in Solid Performances During Second-Day Action at NCAA Championships". BYU Sports Camps. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  21. ^ "Track and Field News: Results". Archived from the original on 2013-03-25. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  22. ^ Writer, NewsNet Staff (1998-01-29). "Mens track still keeping pace". The Daily Universe. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  23. ^ "BYU's Andam and Steere Named Final McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Athletes of the Week - Mountain West Conference Official Athletic Site". Themwc.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  24. ^ "BYU's Bolm and Andam Sweep McLeodUSA Mtn. West Track and Field Athlete of the Week Honors - Mountain West Conference Official Athletic Site". Themwc.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  25. ^ "Tracksters Advance Following Day One at NCAA Championships | The Official Site of BYU Athletics". Byucougars.com. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  26. ^ Top Scoring Honors
  27. ^ "16 Cougars Qualify for NCAA T&F Championships | The Official Site of BYU Athletics". Byucougars.com. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  28. ^ "Campus notes". Deseret News. 26 May 2001. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  29. ^ "NCAA News Archive - Vols cruise in final event to win third men's track crown". Fs.ncaa.org. 18 June 2001. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  30. ^ "Sevilla '99 Results". Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  31. ^ "Sevilla '99 Results". Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  32. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-08-19. Retrieved 2012-08-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  33. ^ "Edmonton '01 Results". Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  34. ^ "Edmonton '01 Results". Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  35. ^ "Edmonton '01 Results". Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  36. ^ "Edmonton '01 Results". Archived from the original on 2008-12-10. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  37. ^ Andam, K. E. "Scarlet Minor and the Renegade". www.scarletminor.com. Author House. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  38. ^ "WorldVuer Official | A MARKET LEADER IN VIDEO INTERACTIVE MEDIA SOLUTIONS". Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  39. ^ Wakoba, Sam (2012-05-23). "Globa's SMS Money Transfer Service Targets Africa's Unbanked". The Next Web. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  40. ^ "PayOdd". www.payodd.com. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  41. ^ "OS | PETRO – Welcome to OS | PETRO". Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  42. ^ "Side Equity – Funding the innovations of a future rich generation of entrepreneurs". Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  43. ^ "Sleek Media Group". www.sleekmediagroup.com. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  44. ^ "BeverlyAir – BeverlyAir". Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  45. ^ "Utah County Attorney News Details: KENNETH EKOW ANDAM". Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  46. ^ "Warrant Details for KENNETH EKOW ANDAM (Age: 42)". Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  47. ^ "UTAH SECURITIES COMMISSION -- IN THE MATTER OF: FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND ORDER AS TO AMOUNT OF FINE IMPOSED AGAINST RESPONDENT KENNETH EKOW ANDAM" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  48. ^ "Weber's Clinger soars to NCAA title". Deseret News. June 2001.

External links edit