Ghana sets new medal record at 2023 African Games
Team Ghana has rewritten history books at the 2023 African Games, marking its most successful participation since the games’ inception in 1965.
The nation secured a remarkable total of 68 medals, comprising 19 golds, 29 silvers, and 20 bronzes, surpassing its previous best of 27 medals attained during the 1973 Games in Lagos, Nigeria.
Football, Ghana’s favourite sport, contributed significantly to the success, with both the men’s and women’s U-20 teams claiming victory in their respective tournaments.
Boxing also shone brightly, earning four gold medals, led by Samuel Takyi, Ghana’s sole Olympic medalist in Tokyo, and Joseph Commey, a recent Commonwealth Games medalist.
In athletics, Ghana claimed three gold medals through Joseph Paul Amoah, Rose Yeboah, and Evans Yamoah. While falling short of the initial target of seven gold medals, the achievement remains noteworthy, considering the fiercely competitive nature of track and field events.
Another golden moment to Ghana’s triumphant campaign, while Winnifred Ntumi’s weightlifting win marked the beginning of Ghana’s historic performance in these Games.
However, much praise must go to arm-wrestling, which earned an incredible eight gold medals and accounted for more than 60% of Ghana’s total medals.
This accomplishment elevated arm-wrestling into national prominence despite being considered a minor sport within the country.
As a result, Ghana finished 6th out of 53 participating nations—a significant improvement from its 15th position in the 2019 Rabat edition, where it garnered only 13 medals.
Meanwhile, defending champions Egypt retained their title but fell short of their previous record of 260 medals; instead, they amassed 187 medals, including 99 golds.
Runner-up Nigeria managed 10 fewer medals compared to the 2019 Games, securing a total of 120 medals. South Africa moved up to secure the third spot, pushing Algeria down to fourth place in the final rankings.
