Team Ghana
In the fantastic city of Spokane, Washington, where the 2023 BWF World Junior Badminton Championship is taking place, Team Ghana made history and a name for the country, with the teenagers fighting as if their very existence depended on not giving up the events.
The World Championships also serves as an Olympic qualifier for the Paris 2024 global event. Before this, the Ghana Badminton team participated in South Africa, Nigeria events and a National Open last summer.
A 16-man contingent of players and officials led by Ghana’s Badminton President, Yeboah Evans, is all the motivation the players need to self-motivate themselves, chalking the historic most significant achievement in the Mixed team event by any African country in 23 years of the World Championships.
Over 54 countries are in the United States fighting for honours, with Ghana presenting a few players for the tournament but registering gains that can only inspire a more significant achievement sooner than later.
The young players, with some of them travelling outside the country for the first time, are impressing even officials of their opponents, drawing commendations for having a great future ahead towards the 2023 African Games, 2024 Paris Olympics, 2026 Youth Olympics, and other international open and invitational events.
Ghana became the first African country to have reached the finals of its Mixed Team Group, having lost to Norway in the final stage. Ghanaian players Andy Amofa and Elvis Osei won the Mixed Team Event’s 4th and 5th best players, whilst Moslena Adu placed 10th in the overall player rankings. Ghana had to settle for second place in the group match, which nonetheless marked a historic achievement. Amofa committed a rare service error but quickly recovered, delivering a cross-court smash to regain the lead at 11-09.
In a crucial moment, Amofa surprised the Norway Aldrin Nelson by returning a shuttle that appeared to be heading wide, but the Norway player managed to keep it close to the net. Amofa returned the shuttle and secured the point with a well-executed backflip to the other side of the court, taking an 11-09 lead.
Despite Nelson saving two match points, he failed to return a body smash by Amofa near the net. With a final score of 3-0, Ghana lost the last game and handed Norway a winning match, concluding the Ghanaian players one of their career’s most riveting badminton games.
Ghana performed far better than the earlier 2017 World Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia and in pole position for the 2024 France Olympics qualification ranking with four other international matches until the deadline of April 28, 2028.
From The Sports Desk