Ghana’s featherweight boxer Samuel Takyi was yesterday decorated with his bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
It was the nation’s first medal in 29 years.
In the preliminary round of 32, Takyi received a bye, and was then drawn against Ecuador’s Jean Carlos Caicedo in the round of 16 bout – a task he dispatched unanimously on the cards of the judges.
The 20-year-old Takyi then outpointed Colombia’s 32-year-old southpaw David Ceiber Avila, in the quarter-finals, taking two of three rounds against the more experienced fighter.
Once that was accomplished, it gave the nation its first medal since the Barcelona ’92 Games – as all boxers were guaranteed medals at the semi-final stage.
Known as the ‘Golden Ring Warrior,’ Takyi made a valiant attempt to go beyond the bronze position, but lost his featherweight semis 4-1 on points to the experienced USA’s Duke Ragan.
He joins the pantheon of Ghanaian Olympic boxing greats Clement Quartey, a light welterweight who won silver in Rome 1960, Eddie Blay a bronze light welterweight medallist from Tokyo 1964 and Prince Amartey who made history in Munch 1972.
