The men needed a great effort against Sudan in the second game to qualify, and they delivered, thrashing the North African team in three straight sets thanks to strong performances from Emmanuel Commey and skipper Bernard Sam.
The women’s team reacted in kind, defeating Uganda in a five-game thriller, with Celia Danso delivering the decisive blow.
“We have beautiful dreams. We have excellent material. The prospects are here. We just have to do what it takes to create champions that will give our country a lot of joy and a lot of pride,”
Ghana Table Tennis Federation President Mawuko Afadzinu remarked after the achievement. Without Juanita winning her game, we’re going to lose 3-0. She won a game, it became 2-1 and that provided the platform for the senior players to mount a comeback,” he added.
There have been worries over Ghana’s ability to earn a medal in this event. Emmanuel Commey, a team member, is confident in his abilities.
“Ghana is going to win a gold medal for table tennis because now we are going out all out. We are the host nation, we have fans, we have supporters that we think is going to help us,” he said.
The unexpected turn of events is a significant boost for Team Ghana, which did poorly in the singles tournament earlier in the week, with none making it past the round of 16.
The Black Loopers face difficult responsibilities in the team event, but they remain hopeful of weaving magic.
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