Ghana settles for 4th spot in regional athletics competition
Ghana finished fourth on home soil at the 2025 Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Region II Senior Championships, bagging 23 medals but only three gold, as regional giants Nigeria once again proved untouchable at the University of Ghana Stadium in Legon.
The two-day competition brought together the best from seven West African nations, but it was Nigeria who stole the show with 15 gold, eight silver and two bronze — dominating the men’s and women’s 100m and 200m sprints, as well as both 4x100m relays.
Burkina Faso followed with 21 medals, powered by seven gold in the multi-events, while Benin took third with six gold in their 15-medal haul. Ghana’s 11 silver and nine bronze could not push them higher than fourth, though it was enough to hold off Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia.
Ghana’s golden moments
There were flashes of brilliance for the hosts. Army man Rexford Bugase launched Ghana’s campaign with gold in the discus before Kelvin Adu soared to victory in the high jump.
Baba Seidu Mamudu added the third gold in the 400m hurdles with a commanding run.
Perhaps the brightest spark, however, came from 17-year-old prodigy Mordecai Acheampong, who stormed to bronze in the men’s 400m with an eye-catching 46.63 seconds. Teammate Solomon Diafo was only a whisker off the podium, finishing fourth in 46.68.
Concerns and rebuilding
Ghana Athletics President, Fuseini Bawah, admitted the hosts had underwhelmed, particularly in the sprints where defending 100m champion Edwin Gadayi could only manage seventh before salvaging silver in the 200m.
“We won only three gold medals, which was below our expectations,” Bawah said. “The general performance was good, but going forward, we need to rebuild our team. The women’s performance has dropped drastically. This is a wake-up call. With the African Championships coming to Accra next year, we must go back to the drawing board and build a formidable side.”
He revealed that a six-month training camp would begin in December to prepare Team Ghana for the 2026 African Championships, which will also be staged at the University of Ghana Stadium.
Ghana’s top performances
Gold Medals (3):
Rexford Bugase – Men’s Discus
Kelvin Adu – Men’s High Jump
Baba Seidu Mamudu – Men’s 400m Hurdles
Silver Medals (11):
Edwin Gadayi – Men’s 200m (after seventh-place finish in 100m)
Other silver medals were spread across track and field events.
Bronze Medals (9):
Mordecai Acheampong (17 years old) – Men’s 400m (46.63s, rising star of the competition)
Other bronze medals were won across sprints, jumps, and middle-distance events.
