Ghana football legend Asamoah Gyan has lauded the outstanding performance of Ghana’s Armwrestling team at the recently concluded 2023 African Games, describing it as unexpected yet commendable.
Gyan hailed Team Ghana’s achievement of clinching eight gold, 19 silver, and 14 bronze medals in the Armwrestling events, making it the nation’s most successful discipline at the Games.
This significant contribution propelled Ghana to its largest medal haul in African Games history, securing a remarkable total of 69 medals, including 19 golds, 29 silvers, and 21 bronzes.
Reflecting on the unexpected success of the Armwrestling team, Gyan emphasised the need to broaden Ghana’s sports focus beyond traditional disciplines like football and boxing.
“It looks like from what we all saw at the African Games, it was Armwrestling. If we can be fair. They are the discipline that won the most gold medals for Ghana unexpectedly. No disrespect to them. It raised eyebrows because nobody expected that but with all due respect to the association they ended up winning more gold for Ghana which motivated a lot of disciplines which also started getting gold for Ghana,” Gyan remarked during an interview with 3FM.
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He highlighted the emergence of talents in diverse sports such as high jump and weightlifting, indicating the potential for Ghana to excel across various sporting arenas.
“In the past, our focus was primarily on football and boxing, producing champions like Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey. However, the African Games showcased the abundance of talent in Ghana across different sports,” he added.
Gyan, who retired from football after a remarkable career, has demonstrated a keen interest in promoting various sports beyond football.
His initiative, the All Regional Games, aims to unearth talents across diverse disciplines, further fostering the development of sports in Ghana.