13th African Games: Complete Breakdown of How Ghana Won Historic 68 Medals, Including 19 Gold

The 13th African Games concluded on March 23, 2024, with Ghana hosting a vibrant closing ceremony brimming with arts, culture, and music.

Despite a commendable hosting of the event and remarkable achievements across various disciplines, the West African nation remained outside the top five medal-winning countries.

How many medals did Ghana win?

At the just-concluded multisport competition, Team Ghana secured a commendable sixth position on the medal table, amassing a total of 68 medals.

This historic achievement marks the highest medal tally for the West African nation since the 1973 games in Nigeria, according to Asaase Radio.

The Ghanaian contingent clinched 19 gold, 29 silver, and 20 bronze medals across 25 different competitions, showcasing their prowess and dedication on the continental stage.

Breakdown of Ghana's medals at African Games

Sports Brief delves into the breakdown of Ghana's remarkable 68-medal haul, highlighting the diverse range of disciplines that contributed to this historic achievement.

Arm wrestling

The discipline showcased remarkable strength and technical prowess, while also contributing significantly to the host country's medal tally at the 13th African Games.

According to GBC Ghanaonline, Team Ghana excelled in this sport, securing a total of 41 medals, including eight golds, 19 silver medals, and 14 bronze. Notably, only Egypt (with 14 gold medals) outperformed Ghana in terms of gold medals in this discipline.

Boxing

Boxing, the noble art of self-defence, which has been a forte for Ghana in multisport competitions, followed closely, claiming the second spot with a total of eight medals, comprising four gold, one silver, and two bronze.

Among the standout achievements, Samuel Takyi, the sole African medalist in boxing at the 2020 Olympics, alongside Joseph Commey, Amadu Mohammed, and Mohammed Aryeetey, all secured gold in their respective weight categories.

Meanwhile, Abubakar Kamoko, famously called 'Ambitious Tilapia' and the son of the legendary Braimah Kamoko (Bukom Banku), settled for a silver medal following his defeat to Algeria’s Ousama Kanouni in the cruiserweight final, per 3news.

Theophilus Allotey and Janet Acquah rounded up the boxing medals with two bronze medals.

Athletics

In athletics, Ghana secured six medals, consisting of three gold, two silver, and one bronze, across six different disciplines.

Sprinter, Joseph Paul Amoah, claimed gold in the men’s 200m with a time of 20.70s, as cited by Ghanaweb.

Additionally, he anchored the 4x100m relay team to secure a silver medal in a closely contested race against Nigeria, who clinched gold in 38.41s.

13th African Games: South Africa earn 17 medals in the swimming pool on the opening weekend in Ghana

Other Sports

Ghana's quartet narrowly missed out on gold by just 0.02 seconds, finishing in 38.43s. The women’s relay team also contributed a bronze medal after completing the 4x100m relay final in 44.21s.

Meanwhile, long-distance runner, William Amponsah, made a significant impact in the competition by securing Ghana’s first medal in the half marathon - a silver medal.

He completed the race in 1 hour, 5 minutes, and 13 seconds, just nine seconds behind Samson Amare of Eritrea (1:05:04s), setting a national record in the process.

Amponsah also set a national record in the men’s 10,000m final with a time of 29:50.99s, despite finishing 5th.

After setting national records in the 10,000m and Half Marathon at the African Games, Amponsah now holds seven major records: 3000m (8:02.67) - Short Track, 5000m (13:40.16), 10,000m (29:50:99), Half-Marathon (1:03:15), as well as records for 10km (road), 15km (road), and 10 miles (road).

The Rose and Cadman show

In the field events, Evans Cadman Yamoah and Rose Yeboah emerged as the standout performers, securing gold medals in both the men’s and women’s high jump finals.

Evans Cadman made history as the first Ghanaian to claim gold in the men’s high jump at the African Games.

Cheered on by his former colleagues from the University of Ghana, the alumnus soared over a height of 2.23m, clinching the gold medal.

His remarkable feat overshadowed competitors from Morocco and South Africa, Hammouda Saad and Benjamin Links Mpho, respectively. He celebrated with Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic 'Siuu' gesture to top off his performance.

This height marks a new personal best for the now final-year student at the University of Central Missouri.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Rose successfully defended her African Games champion title with a jump of 1.90m.

Other disciplines

In a breakthrough moment, swimmer Abeku Jackson ended Ghana’s medal drought, claiming silver in the men’s 50m butterfly final with a time of 24.23s and bronze in the men’s 100m butterfly final, clocking in at 53.80s.

Shifting to the field, the women’s hockey team secured gold, narrowly defeating Nigeria 4-3 on penalties, while the men’s team settled for silver after a 3-1 loss to Egypt.

Meanwhile, the basketball 3×3 squad secured silver after a tight 11-16 loss to Algeria in the men’s final. Additionally, the volleyball team secured bronze by defeating Cameroon 3-2 in the bronze medal match.

Adding to the triumph, Ghana secured gold in both the men’s and women’s football finals. The Black Satellites clinched victory with a one-nil win against Uganda, while the Black Princesses overcame a goal deficit to defeat archrivals, Nigeria, 2-1 in Cape Coast.

Indeed, weightlifter Winnifred Ntumi, aged 21, emerged as the bearer of Ghana’s initial three medals at the Games: one gold and two silver.

Besides Ghana's remarkable showing in boxing, the nation also excelled in another combat discipline, taekwondo, securing three medals - two silver and one bronze. Kelvin Amuzu, Erica Tuagbor, and Gerald Sarfo emerged triumphant in their respective categories.

African Games: Ghana among top 10 nations

Ghana secured sixth position among the top nations, trailing behind Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria, and Tunisia, respectively.