Reks Brobbey
The annual GNPC Ghana’s Fastest Human (GFH) race event, like many others, suffered shipwreck due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As usual, the organisers of the competition began the 2020 Olympic calendar on a good footing with an impressive launch followed by meets in Tamale and later Cape Coast.
And while Reks Brooby, founder Ghana Fastest Human, and his team were planning for the next regional meet, the Covid-19 pandemic crept in unawares, shelving all programmes.
However, team Ghana Fastest Human dug deep into their knowledge reservoir and came up with the Speedsters Club initiative sponsored by GCB Bank in association with Adidas.
In June, GCB Bank partnered GFH and selected four athletes that had run close to qualifying times. The quartet have since been in camp under strict regimental training and proper diet programme for the 2021 year.
The four athletes coached by Emmanuel ‘Koora’ Tuffour—Elorm, Abubakar, Dwumfuor and Ohene Karikari (head)—include Grace Obuor, who is the current 400 metres champion of Ghana. She is also the third fastest lady over this distance in Africa.
She is a student of the University of Ghana and has a personal best of 51.86 seconds in the 400 metres, 0.03 seconds away from the 30-year-old national record when she won bronze at the ladder African Games in 2019.
Also in the club is Kate Agyeman, a student of UDS and is the current local university champion in100m with a personal best of 11.87 seconds and held the fastest local time in the 200 meters last year with a time of 23.80 seconds.
Edwin Gadayi, one of the fastest local 100m runners, was part of the winning sprint relay team that won gold at the last African Championships is also in the team.
The last member of the club, Sarfo Ansah, has risen through the ranks and was crowned GNPC Ghana’s Fastest Human U-18 in 2015.
He has gone on to represent Ghana at the Commonwealth Games and is currently the local fastest in the 100 metres. He had a best of 10.41 in the 100 and training seriously to make the Olympic team.
The organisers of the heat event have stated that it will bounce back stronger February next year for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The club has Dr. Rachael Pugh as its clinical psychologist, with Andrew Kuade as a muscle trigger specialist.
GCB Bank is taking care of the athletes and the coaches’ accommodation, nutrition, medical bills with Adidas as the official kit sponsor.
By Kofi Owusu Aduonum