By Ken Bediako
Ghana participated in only two disciplines, athletics and boxing a sharp contrast from the two previous Olympiads where we had quite a large number of footballers, boxers, track and field athletes and table tennis players.
Even though none of the participants won a medal, a couple of athletes showed a lot of promise.
Aziz Zakari the sensational discovery, reached the 100 metres final only to crash out 15 metres in the race cramped in both legs. He had earlier recorded 10.31 secs and 10 22secs in the qualifying series.
This time round he was in tears and cursing his stars that his piece of glory had become cruelly cut short by an injury on the Sydney tracks. Aziz Zakari had already made history to become the first Ghanaian male athlete to qualify for any Olympic track final.
Alice Anum was the first Ghanaian female athlete to do so at the Munich Olympics in 1972.
What happened to Aziz on that fateful day was that some 15 metres into the 100m final, he suddenly collapsed on the tracks in agony cramped in both legs. And so all attention remained focused on the other six runners chasing after Maurice Greene the American super star. Aziz had to be helped off the track to receive treatment and undergo dope test.
Later, with his tears hardly dried, Aziz spoke of what he believed to be his “Olympic jinx.”
It is recalled that at the 1996 Atlanta Games, Aziz was a member of the 100×4 metres relay team which got disqualified on technicalities just before the final.
Then at the ill-fated Sydney Games under review he was flagged twice for false starts in the semi-finals. “Perhaps I am destined not to finish Olympic finals,” he said with a sense of resignation.
Earlier Leo Myles Mills just missed the 100m final finishing fifth in the semi-finals with a time of 10.25 secs.
Female sprinter Vida Nsiah placed third in the 100m heats but set a national record of 11.18 secs. The old time was 11.2 sec Vida was timed at 11.19 secs in the second round and 11.37 secs in the semi-finals where she placed fifth in the race won by Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey in 10.22secs.
But perhaps the biggest disappointment was the performance of long jumper Andrew Owusu only managing 24.12 metres, his worse performance ever.
Vida Nsiah set a national record of 11 18 secs placing third in the semi-final. The old time was 11.2 secs.
Vida was timed at 11.19 secs in the second round and 11.37 secs in the semi-finals where she placed fifth.
The men’s sprints quartet of Christian Nsiah, Kenneth Adom, Aziz Zakari and Myles Mills breezed into the semis and were a shade away into the finals when anchorman man Myles Mills collapsed with a hamstring injury. Ghana was then in front and ten metres away from winning. Christian Nsiah started and handed well to Kenneth Adom. By the time Aziz took over a clear lead was being established when Myles Mills got the baton and shot into the lead. Ghana seemed poised for victory then Myles Mills started to hobble badly and then fell clutching his left thigh.
Boxing had a bizarre start. By a strange twist of circumstances Ghana lost the services of one of the key boxers James Tooney, even before hostilities began Tooney failed to pass the medical examination prior to the start of the festival.
Colonel George Brock head of delegation said the brief he had from GABA chairman Lt Col John Sharpe, was more bizarre than a mere disqualification.
Col Brock said Tooney passed the medical exams all right but when he was given a card to proceed to the weigh in centre the boxer failed to undergo the weighing exercise for reasons best known to himself. It was after the team had returned to the Games village that one of the boxers revealed that Tooney still had the weighing card in his possession meaning he had not undergone the weighing procedure at all.
As it turned out the draws were made without Tooney. The boxer was rushed back by team officials to the weighing centre but the exercise was over. In effect therefore the boxer went to Sydney on holidays.
Those who mounted the ring were Lightheavyweight Charles Adamu who set the ball rolling with a points victory over Courtney Fry of Britain. He however lost his next fight to Ukrainian Andrew Fedehouk.
Lightwelterweight Ben Neequaye also beat Kenya’s Frederick Kumithia but lost to Mohamned Allalou of Algeria in the next fight.
Lightweight Raymond Narh beat Victor Ramos of East Timori but lost to Ukrainian Andriv Kotelynk.
Lightmiddleweight Adama Osumanu was beaten by Mohammed Sallah Marmouri of Tunisia in his very first fight.
This ends the first chapter of the history of Ghana and the Olympic Games from Helsinki 1952 to the Millennium Games of Sydney 2000.
Paris 2024 is just around the corner so cheers everybody and keep loving sports.
