By
Dennis Osei Gyamfi, GNA
Accra, July 16, GNA – India’s Badminton team
swept home majority of the awards at the maiden edition of the J.E. Wilson
Ghana International Series 2018, held at Tema.
India won four gold medals, three silver
medals and three bronze medals to top the medal table of the competition.
Ghana’s team was not much convincing having
won one silver and a bronze medal as the host country.
Jacob Evans Wilson, outgoing head coach of the
Ghana Badminton team, noted that, the team’s performance showed that Badminton
had developed in the country.
“I think it is an improvement on our previous
performances. If you look at the facilities the other countries have, compared
to what we have, I think we have done extremely well to even win a medal,”
coach Wilson said.
He adviced his successors to use the
experience they had gathered from the competition as a source of motivation to
guide them in future tournaments.
Mr Yeboah Evans, president of the Badminton
Association of Ghana said the country can only be proud of the performance of
the team considering the fact that the sport was still developing.
“We cannot compare ourselves with most of the
competitions that we participate in, because the sport is not for us and we are
trying to evolve. But in terms of performance with our players, its been the
best performance in the men’s single we have seen in an international event and
that gives us the needed boost for us to build upon it,” Mr Yeboah said.
He said BAG were putting systems in place to
organise a quarterly leagues to identify talents and nurture them.
He added that the successful hosting of the
tournament was good for the future of Ghana Badminton.
“This particular tournament has showed us that
we can hold better events next year and the talents that we have discovered is
something to write home about. So for us it is a great leap to the next level
of the sport,” he added.
The JE Wilson Ghana International Series was
the first International tournament in Badminton to be ever hosted in Ghana.
The four-day global badminton tournament
attracted over 18 countries from all the five continents of the world with a
total of 102 players participating.
Below are full list of the award winners
Mixed
Doubles
Veludurthi Harika and Devlekar Vighnesh (India)
– Gold
Wadkar Karishma and Aroa Utkarsh (India) – Silver
Orji Peace and Abah Enejoh (Nigeria) – Bronze
Allet Aurelie Marie Elisa and Paul Georges
Julien (Mauritius) – Bronze
Women’s
Doubles
Veludurthi Harika and Wadkar Karishma (India)
– Gold
Atipaka Grace Annabel and Bentum Stella
(Ghana) – Silver
Arthur Eunice Abena and Migbodzi Eyram Yaa
(Ghana) – Bronze
Loess Esme Osseane Davila and N’Dia Aicha
Lauren (Ivory Coast) – Bronze
Men’s Doubles
Hanumaiah Ragnatha and Vasantha Kumar (India)
– Gold
Surya Vaibhaav and Raj Prakash (India) – Silver
Abah Enejoh and Babalola Gideon (Nigeria) – Bronze
Arora Utkarsh and Devlekar Vighnesh (India) – Bronze
Women’s
Singles
Polikarpova Ksenia (Israel) –
Gold
Allet Aurlie Marie Elisa (Mauritius) –
Silver
Hosny Hadia
(Egypt) – Bronze
Abedkhojasteh Samin (Iran) –
Bronze
Men’s
Singles
Dani Hrsheel
(India) – Gold
Thakur Siddharath (India) –
Silver
Tandon Aryamann (India) – Bronze
Verma Siril (India) – Bronze
GNA