Nigeria tops medal table at African Athletics Championship, Ghana wins most medals

Nigeria topped the medal table at the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Region II Championship, held from June 4-6 at the University of Ghana Stadium, with a superior haul of gold medals. However, it was the host nation, Ghana, that secured the most medals overall.

Nigeria clinched a total of 13 gold medals compared to Ghana's ten, edging out the hosts at the conclusion of the Championship last Wednesday in Accra. The event, an Olympic qualifier, saw around 450 athletes from 15 countries within the ECOWAS sub-region compete fiercely for top honors.

On the field, Kennedy Ocansey stepped up in the absence of African Games champion Evans Cadman to win gold in the men’s high jump, achieving a personal best of 2.18m. David Nakousi claimed victory in the men’s 1500m, while Mary Boakye took gold in the women’s 200m final with a time of 23.24 seconds. Gariba Sakat was another standout, winning gold in the women’s 5000m and expressing her delight with the victory.

Edwin Gadayi secured a gold in the men’s 100m with an impressive time of 10.28 seconds and later added a silver in the men’s 200m. The men’s 4x400m quartet, including Daniel Mantey-Otibu and Peter Antiedu, won gold with a time of 3:09.53.

Day one of the Championship saw Ghanaian athletes amassing a total of five gold medals across various disciplines. Esther Obenewa, known as the high jump queen, secured gold with a jump of 1.79m, expressing her ambition to reach even greater heights in the future.

Ishmael Arthur, Ghana’s long-distance ace, delivered a sensational performance in the 10,000m race, finishing with a time of 28:11.79. The excitement continued with Ghana’s female sprint relay team – Deborah Acheampong, Janet Mensah, Mary Boakye, and Hor Halutie – electrifying the crowd with a breathtaking performance in the women’s 4x100m, securing another gold for the home nation. Faustina Owusu capped off the golden day for Ghana with a victory in the women’s discus throw, bringing their total gold medals for the day to five.

Despite the impressive haul, Ghana did not secure any new qualifications from the CAA Region II Championship for the upcoming Olympics. This means the 4x100m relay team remains the only qualified track and field athletes from Ghana.