Ghana’s leading medal prospect at the upcoming Commonwealth games to be held in Birmingham-UK, the BLACK BOMBERS have finally settled on the boxers (males & female) and also the technical crew.
Slated for 28th July to 8th August, 2022, the quadrennial games meant for only countries and states affiliated or linked to the crown colony of the United Kingdom under her Imperial Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
After an intensive National Individual Amateur Boxing Championship which featured over fifty (50) boxing gyms from all the regions in Ghana at the Accra Sports Stadium and the Bukom Boxing Arena, Thirty (30) amateur pugilists were shortlisted and selected to form the nucleus of the reconstituted national boxing teams (Black Bombers & the youth team – Black Rockets).
SELECTION CRITERIA
It was decided on the winners, runners-up and few outstanding performers with potential for future prospects in all the major weight categories.
The key indicators on settling for the team to the Birmingham2022 challenge were based on performance at training, sparring and experience for the final on who represent Ghana at the games.
Also, the Ghana Boxing Federation (GBF) the mandated outfit to develop, sanction and promote juvenile, youth & elite amateur boxing in Ghana, as the Managers of all national teams decided to settle on the weight categories (divisions) that the country have competitive & comparative advantages with regards to medal winning based on previous games and the current rankings respective boxers by the INTERNATIONAL BOXING ASSOCIATION (IBA) – the world’s governing body for amateur boxing.
With the nine (9) slots given to boxers & 3 coaches for the games, the following made the final list:
Find out who made it to Birmingham2022 as below:
TRAINING & PREPARATIONS
The team have since been undergoing a non – residential training for the past 4 months, which started from the Sports Hall of the Accra Sports Stadium and relocated to the Bukom Boxing Arena after few weeks.
RECORDS AT PREVIOUS GAMES
As a high ranked team at major international competitions, the Bombers have also not disappointed their country folks on any outings that they featured. The recent success of featherweight, Samuel Takyi, that won Ghana’s only medal and Africa’s only boxing medal at the Tokyo2020 Olympic Games – Bronze.
The 1998 Commonwealth games in Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia, was the last time they made it big with a gold medal by featherweight, Raymond Narh.
Two immediate past Commonwealth games in Glasgow – Scotland (2014) & Gold Coast – Australia (2018) saw the Black Bombers winning the nation’s only medals, a BRONZE from Lightweight – Abdul Walid Omar & Welterweight – Jessy Lartey respectively.
The potential of the current Bombers with the experience of few individual members seems the major trump card for a medal haul.2018 Commonwealth games quarterfinalist Samuel Yaw Addo (flyweight) stands a chance of picking a medal from the Birmingham games with positive lessons from the previous adventure in Gold Coast.
Ornella Sathoud (middleweight) is making history as the first female boxer to represent Ghana at the Commonwealth Games after making exploits at the 2019 Africa Games in Rabat, Morocco as well as the 2020 Africa Olympic Games qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal where she won bronze, a first by a female Ghanaian boxer at an international tourney. Though she couldn’t make it to the Tokyo Olympics proper, the PHD holding analytical chemistry graduate aims to win a medal in Birmingham to enhance her sporting credentials.
Other newbies – Abraham Mensah (bantamweight), Joseph Commey (featherweight) and Alfred Kotey will want to replicate the Tokyo2020 Olympic hero – Samuel Takyi (who has since turned professional) with a medal feat in their maiden international appearance.
The new Black Bombers will be captained by Abubakar Kwasi Quartey (middleweight) whilst also well poised for a medal is Tokyo 2020 Olympian and 2019 Africa games medalist, Shakul Samed (light heavyweight).
Credit: GBF MEDIA
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