Team Ghana displaying their medals
Ghana’s Para Powerlifting side demonstrated brilliance in the just ended African Open Para Powerlifting Championship in Cairo, Egypt yesterday.
Ghana sent four athletes to the Championship –
one female – Patricia Nyamekye (two gold medals), three males (Isaac Obeng) – first ever appearance placed fourth but made Paralympic Games #Paris2024 qualification mark with a lift of 170kg.
Emmanuel Nii Tettey Oku – had the best of lift in the entire competition with a gold medal for the African Championship with a lift of 176kg in the up to 76kg category event and was awarded two silver medals for placing second in the World event.
After a suspension for flouting COVID rules in Manchester 2021, Tahiru Haruna couldn’t make it to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, but came back strongly to win silver and bronze medals in the World/African category event of up to 107kg with a lift of 205kg.
Refreshingly, Ghana’s female Para Powerlifter, Patricia Nyamekye has set a new world record in the 67kg category of the New Generation Paralympic Games qualifiers.
Her lift of 91kg is the new African and World Record in the Youth and New Generation Category, and places her to make a qualifying mark for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
The team was led by Price Nyarko, coach of the para powerlifting.