Team Ghana made a remarkable start at the CAA Region II Championships, securing four gold medals on the opening day at the University of Ghana stadium. The competition, which kicked off on Tuesday, June 5, serves as an Olympic qualifying event, attracting athletes from across Africa vying for medals and a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
With the event taking place in Ghana, the spotlight was on some of the country’s top athletes, including Hor Halutie, Edwin Gadayi, and Esther Obenewaa, who were all aiming to make the Olympic qualifying times and heights.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned, as all three athletes finished their events in the medal zone but missed out on qualifying for the Olympics. Gadayi’s time of 10.28 in the final fell short of the under 10.00 needed to secure qualification for the Olympics. However, he remains hopeful of securing qualification in the next competition in Cameroon and is determined to work harder.
“We have another competition, and that would be the last opportunity, so I pray for good health and good strength to make it to the Olympics,” he said.
Hor Halutie finished third in the women’s 100-meter final, which meant she also fell short of the qualification time. Esther Obenewaa, who impressed fans at the African Games, saw her jump of 1.79 meters fall short of the Olympic qualification mark.
Despite the setbacks, Obenewaa is keen to make it to the Olympics and has vowed to train harder to improve her performance. “My next chapter is to train harder to be able to jump higher in the next competition,” she said.
Faustina Owusu, however, had a successful outing, winning a gold medal in the discus throw with a distance of 44.46 meters. Unfortunately, her distance wasn’t enough for qualification to Paris.
Day two of the CAA Region II Championships continues on Wednesday, and the Ghanaian athletes will be looking to make the right times in the other events to book a ticket to the big stage.
