Rose Yeboah Amoanimaa
All too soon, Team Ghana has drawn the curtains on its historic participation at the 31st edition of the World University Sports Federation (FISU) Games in Chengdu, China.
The sterling performance saw Ghana’s ranking leapfrogging from 100 plus to impressive 35 in the world and 3rd in Africa after South Africa and Uganda.
All these due to the technically astute, determined, shy, and reserved Rose Yeboah in the Female High Jump, clinching the first-ever Gold medal for Ghana at the FISU games since its inception more than 70 years ago.
With a contingent of 12 athletes, the Ghanaian contingent has proven their worth.
To have clinched Gold in such a highly technical discipline speaks much about the manifestation of biomechanical functions, emotional factors, and training techniques.
The exposure and opportunity presented to these students will indeed leave a permanent mark. In fact, but for the lack of requisite support for university sports, more success would have been chalked.
That is why Rose Yeboah Amoanimaa could not hide her elation when she expressed how happy she was and her gratitude to those who have made it possible for her, from Ghana Universities Sports Association (GUSA), her coaches and the Ministry of Sports, among others for their support and encouragement.
The President of GUSA, Ibrahim Tanko Shaibu, during whose administration this feat occurred, established that this success and achievement are big statements about GUSA and its mandates and abilities.
He further stressed that GUSA has lifted the flag of Ghana which is here for all to see, and the clarion call for the requisite resources from universities, the government, and public and corporate bodies to enhance the activities of GUSA.
Previously, Team Ghana participated in athletics events namely 100m men/women, 200m men/women, 400m men, long jump men/women, high jump women and 4 x100m men.
Performance
Barnabas Aggerh qualified in the 100m event to the semi-finals with a time of 10.49s and equaled his time in the semi-finals.
Mary Boakye also made a time of 11.73s in the qualifiers and 11.68s in the semi-finals in the women’s 100m. Similarly, in 200m, out of seven heats in the preliminary qualifiers, Lovina Ewusi and Mary Boakye qualified to the semi-finals with 24.47s and 24.04s times respectively.
It is worth noting that for the first time in the history of Ghana’s participation in the FISU games, two female athletes qualified to the semi-finals stage of the 200m event.
In the 4 x 100m team event for men, Team Ghana slipped out of the finals after they made a time of 40.04s which happened to be the ninth best time from over 20 teams who run in three rounds of semi-finals.
Results from athletes in the men 200m and 400m events, could not qualify the athletes to run beyond the qualification round, likewise the long jump event.
For the very first time since the inception of the FISU Games, Ghana, represented by Rose Yeboah Amoanimaa, qualified to the finals of the high jump event with a leap of 1.84m and went ahead to win the gold medal with a remarkable leap of 1.94m, creating a new National Record.
The Vice President of GUSA, Professor Dominic Otoo, who is also the Dean of Graduate Studies, University of Energy and Natural Resources could not hide his joy that GUSA, for the first time, has gotten a medal from a female.
The Vice President further appealed to government and non-governmental bodies to support GUSA in its activities since it is the hub that contributes greatly to the success of sports in Ghana.
Additionally, the female coach, Ms. Janet Bekoe also shared her joy saying, “She has indeed made us, her coaches and the entire GUSA fraternity, in fact, the whole of Ghana, very happy and proud. Indeed, no mean feat, and must be celebrated as such.”
The contingent touched down yesterday in Accra.
From The Sports Desk