Some elite athletes of the Ghana Taekwondo Federation, who represented Ghana in the 2022 African Taekwondo Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, from their own funds, won gold, silver and bronze in the Poomsae division (forms) but failed to win a medal from Kyorugi division (sparring).
The team returned to Ghana in batches on July 18 and 19, 2022.
In the Poomsae category, Gerald Bernard Sarfo won a bronze medal for individual recognised Poomsae category and together with Augustus Kwame Agbozo and Selorm Fayise, won silver in the team recognised Poomsae category. Selorm Fayise and Marrianne Selasie Max-Voy took the gold in the mixed pair free style Poomsae category as they displayed defensive and offensive forms in perfect synchronization.
In the Kyorugi division captained by Benson Addo, Kezia Elemawusi Gbedze, Henrietta Armah, Gerald Bernard Sarfo and Marrianne Selasie Max-Voy also contested in the division. Augustus Kwame Agbozo and Selorm Fayise, the male and female national coaches respectively, who contested in Poomsae, opined that the last-minute arrival of the athletes for the Kyorugi championships did affect them as the weather was quite cold. They advised against late arrival to championships because hours of air travel and new climatic conditions require a few days for rejuvenation.
The continent’s biggest championship was supervised by the president of the federation, Mr Frederick Lartey Otu, the World Taekwondo appointed Technical Delegate.
Lessons learned, the coaches are now gunning at the World Taekwondo Championships in Mexico next November with the plea to sports authorities and corporate bodies to come to the aid of the team. This year alone, some of the elite athletes of the federation have with their own funds participated in the Niger Open, the Austrian Open and the African championships.
The World Taekwondo points system for global ranking makes it necessary for athletes to participate in G-rated Taekwondo championships. High ranking athletes qualify for seeding in upcoming tournaments, grand prix (prized championships) and Olympic Games automatic qualification.
