Build up to Commonwealth Games : GAA 1st circuit ends in Sekondi-Takoradi

No big crowd, calm atmosphere, nothing like spectacular, but lots of athletes determined to get on that flight to the Commonwealth Games to represent Ghana. With three months to the games in Australia, the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) is hopes the local athletics competitions will throw up a gem or two and provide them a path to greatness beginning in Australia. And after a day of competition at the Essipong Stadium, vice president of the Associaiton, Sylvanus Lamptey outlined plans for the Commonwealth Games. “As for the athletes they are the same old faces, there is no new athlete that we can boast off, but they have all improved upon their performance and that is what we are happy about,” said Dr Sylvanus Lamptey. “The intention is to get them to the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast but I doesn’t automatically follow that once you have been chosen to go for that camp, you will go to Gold Coast, no!” he noted.   Among the athletes who were present at Sekondi was veteran Margaret Simpson. She is hoping to get back on the international stage for Ghana after threatening to quit competing for the nation. There were also young athletes like Sarfo Ansah, the men’s 100m winner who has his sight fixed squarely on Gold Coast in Australia. “It was a tough competition for me but I’m hoping if God permits I will join the Ghana national team and I will take part in the Gold Coast games,” Sarfo Ansah prayed. The circuit for the domestic calendar provides opportunity for local based athletes to qualify for the Commonwealth Games and the 2018 CAA Africa Senior Championship in Nigeria in August. There will be two more circuits before Ghana’s team to the Commonwealth Games is finalized. By Daniel Yeboah |TV3 Sports | editors.3news.com