I’m now focused on returning to athletics - Martha Bissah

Ghanaian athlete, Martha Bissah, says she is now committed to returning to the tracks to compete at international competitions.

Martha Bissah won a gold medal in the girls' 800m race at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in a time of 2:04.90.

Her progress with Ghana has stalled over the last five years following her allegations against the Ghana Athletics Association concerning extortion and bribery, Bissah was suspended indefinitely by the association and has not been able to compete for the national team for the last five years.

However, after graduating from Norfolk State University in the US with a Bachelor of Science degree, Bissah has disclosed her intentions of returning to the track to represent Ghana at the world stage.

Speaking to Joy Sports, the athlete said, “I will continue to run because I always say, I was born to run so I am defiantly going to put 95% of my time and effort on the track and continue my education too.”

Bissah added, “No matter where I am, I am a Ghanaian so when I say I’m coming back to run it means I will be training so whatever that comes I will be there running for Ghana. Any decision that comes I will still be there, its 50-50 anything can happen.”

Although GAA General Secretary Bawa Fusieni has disclosed that the athlete can only compete for Ghana after rendering an apology, the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics gold medalist believes that whatever ensued between them is in the past.

She stated, “Talking about the GAA it’s still the same nothing has changed, I’m not even thinking about the GAA, they are the GAA and I am Martha Bissah, it’s in the past.”

“I have never separated myself from the GAA, they don’t want me to be part of the association. The association is not for them, it’s for Ghana because if anyone goes out and run they go under the flag of Ghana. I don’t have any issue with them,” Bissah added.

In 2017, Bissah won four gold medals for her school at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Indoor and Track and Field Championships.

She was named the Female Athlete of the Year for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019 at Norfolk State University.