By Victoria Kwofie
Team Ghana made their mark on Day 2 of the ongoing ANOCA Zone 3 Games in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, securing three bronze medals in Taekwondo.
Kelvin Amuzu claimed bronze in the -58kg category, Razak Mohammed in +80kg, and Prince Marvin Klutse also won bronze in the -60kg division, rounding off a commendable performance for the Ghanaian contingent.
Speaking after his bout, Prince Marvin Klutse expressed mixed emotions about the outcome; “we are grateful to the Ghana Olympic Committee and Ghana Taekwondo Federation for the opportunity they’ve given us. We came here to win gold, but unfortunately, we all got bronze, which is disappointing. However, we promise to train harder and make Ghana proud in our next competitions.”
Team coach Emmanuel Addo also shared his thoughts, noting, “This is not the result we anticipated, but we’ll take the bronze medals since we are not going home empty-handed. We urge the authorities to support us with more competitions so our athletes can gain experience and exposure.”
Meanwhile, in the handball competition, Ghana’s men’s team narrowly lost 34–35 to Niger. The team won the first half 16–14, but couldn’t maintain their momentum in the second half.
Captain Joseph Quaidoo said after the defeat, “We thank the Almighty God for today. We fought hard, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. We assure Ghanaians that we’ll bounce back stronger and aim for gold in our next games.”
Looking ahead to Day 3, Ghana’s men’s volleyball team will face host nation Burkina Faso, while the women’s handball team takes on Benin. The Karate-Do team will also begin its campaign on Thursday, with the men’s handball team observing a rest day.
