GAA February 22 Rankings: Lydia Mato & Samson Azumah win unprecedented 7 Gold Medals at NJCAA Regional Championships
What an exciting weekend with wonderful competition in the JUCO ranks. Lydia Ataa Afia Mato rang in 48 individual points by winning the 5000m, 3000m, one mile, 1000m, and coming 2nd in the 800m, while her teammate Sampson Azumah Laari scored 38 points with three victories in the 800m, 1000m, and one mile, and a 2nd place in the 5000m at the NJCAA Region 6 (Regional) Championships.
In doing so, Samspon recorded 2015 bests in three of his races, including two personal bests in the one mile and 5000m.
The points they contributed, led to Barton County College winning the men's and women's Regional Championship trophies, and their being named best athletes of the competition.
In the same competition, newcomers Solomon Afful and Mohammed Abubakar each scored in two events, with Afful registering a 2nd place in the 200m and 4th place in the 60m dash, the latter in a personal best-equaling 6.83s performance. Abubakar took 2nd place in the long jump and 3rd place in the triple jump.
In effect, Ghanaian athletes placed in the top 4 in 12 events spanning the men's 60m, 200m, 800m, 1000m, one mile, 5000m, long jump, triple jump, and the women's 800m, 1000m, one mile, and 5000m.
Elsewhere in the NJCAA, Daniel Gyasi topped a stellar field in the 400m, returning a fine time of 47.55s for the indoor two-lap race. At the same competition, Janet Amponsah continued in her yeoman's way, returning a steady time of 23.75s in the indoor 200m to retain her dominance over the national NJCAA rankings. All six will congregate for a Ghanaian celebration at the NJCAA National Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Independence Day.
In the NAIA, the "Chosen One", Elizabeth Dadzie nailed seasonal bests of 6.05m and 12.20m in the long and triple jumps, while also racing a near-personal best of 8.63s in the 60m hurdles, in Oklahoma Baptist University's final tune-up competition before the NAIA National Championships, also on Ghana's Independence weekend.
At the NCAA level, the early conference competitions saw two Ghanaian standout performers. First, Gemma Acheampong swept the 60m and 200m at the Patiot League Championships, breasting the tape in the 60m in a national record-equaling 7.18s!!! Her time equals the national record set by Vida Anim in 2004, and recently equaled by Flings Owusu-Agyapong last month. This is most likely the first time that a national record has been held by three people in Ghana's history!
In the Northeast Conference Championships, Stephanie Aidoo ran 3 races on Saturday (400m, 200m, and 60m), and then repeated the same three races in the finals the next day, within a 1 hour 40 minute time spread. She won the 400m and 200m and ended up in 4th place in the finals of the 60m.
All in all, this was a busy weekend for Ghanaian athletes, and next week brings the bulk of the conference championships at the NCAA level, with Dasor, Nyamadi, Ampomah, Agyei, Dupeh, Bruce, Yamoah, Amankwah, Boakye, Eke, Obeng-Akrofi, Larbi, Donyinah, and Akai, among others, all preparing to represent their respective universities.
Below are the rest of rankings:
55m
Janet Amponsah 6.93s 30-Jan National Record/World Ranking #9
Doreen Agyei 7.16s 01-Feb Personal Best
60m
Flings Owusu-Agyapong 7.18s 16-Jan =National Record/World Ranking #11
Gemma Acheampong 7.18s 22-Feb =National Record/World Ranking #11
Janet Amponsah 7.40s 07-Feb Personal Best
Gemma Acheampong 7.49s 06-Dec Personal Best
Shekara Boakye 7.49s 16-Jan Personal Best
Akua Obeng-Akrofi 7.60s 24-Jan, 30-Jan Personal Best
Hand Time:
Akua Obeng-Akrofi 7.3s 05-Dec
200m
Janet Amponsah 23.67s 06-Feb National Record
Akua Obeng-Akrofi 24.06s 13-Feb Personal Best
Gemma Acheampong 24.41s 07-Feb Personal Best
Shekara Boakye 24.84s 21-Feb Personal Best
Stephanie Aidoo 24.90s 06-Feb Personal Best
Doreen Agyei 24.98s 07-Feb Personal Best
300m
Gemma Acheampong 39.50s 16-Jan Personal Best
400m
Stephanie Aidoo 56.20s 13-Feb Personal Best
Lynette Akai 57.36s 07-Feb
Ama Larbi 57.56s 10-Jan
Bless Dupeh 58.54s 09-Jan
Elizabeth Dadzie 59.07s 04-Dec
500m
Stephanie Aidoo 1.17.28m 16-Jan Personal Best
Bless Dupeh 1.17.63m 09-Jan Personal Best
600m
Lynette Akai 1.37.74m 06-Feb Personal Best
Bless Dupeh 1.39.63m 04-Dec Personal Best
800m
Ama Larbi 2.19.23m 06-Feb Personal Best
1000m
Lydia Mato 3.00.97m 22-Feb Personal Best
One Mile
Lydia Mato 5.04.14m 31-Jan Personal Best
3000m
Lydia Mato 10.34.80s 22-Feb
5000m
Lydia Mato 17.14.40s 16-Jan Personal Best
60mh
Elizabeth Dadzie 8.58s 14-Feb Personal Best
High Jump
Elizabeth Dadzie 1.55m 06-Dec
Long Jump
Elizabeth Dadzie 6.05m 20-Feb
Ebony Owusu-Sampah 5.90m 06-Feb Personal Best
Nadia Eke 5.81m 16-Jan Personal Best
Triple Jump
Nadia Eke 13.17m 31-Jan Personal Best
Mathilde Boateng 12.88m 21-Feb
Elizabeth Dadzie 12.20m 20-Feb
Shot Putt
Obeng Marfo 14.68m 21-Feb Personal Best
Claudia Ababio 14.18m 12-Feb Personal Best
Weight Throw
Obeng Marfo 17.76m 13-Feb Personal Best
Claudia Ababio 17.60m 17-Jan Personal Best
Pentathlon
Elizabeth Dadzie 3594p 30-Jan
Men:
60m
Allah Laryea Akrong 6.74s 09-Jan
Emmanuel Dasor 6.82s 06-Feb Personal Best
Solomon Afful 6.83s 12-Feb, 22-Feb Personal Best
Tim Abeyie 6.89s 24-Jan
Shadrack Adu-Gyamfi 6.95s 09-Jan
200m
Emmanuel Dasor 21.28s 30-Jan Personal Best
Solomon Afful 21.61s 07-Feb Personal Best
Daniel Gyasi 22.11s 24-Jan Personal Best
Shadrack Adu-Gyamfi 22.59s 09-Jan
400m
Emmanuel Dasor 47.29s 17-Jan Personal Best
Daniel Gyasi 47.36s 14-Feb Personal Best
Kwame Donyinah 49.38s 24-Jan
600 y
Daniel Gyasi 1.11.23s 30-Jan Personal Best
600m
Emmanuel Dasor 1.22.24s 04-Dec
800m
Alex Amankwah 1.46.86m 24-Jan =National Record/ World Ranking #11
1000m
Samson Azumah Laari 2.31.57m 22-Feb
One Mile
Samson Azumah Laari 4.23.70m 22-Feb Personal Best
5000m
Samson Azumah Laari 15.21.92m 21-Feb Personal Best
60mh
Yakabu Ibrahim 8.02s 14-Feb
Atsu Nyamadi 8.41s 04-Dec
Pole Vault
Jordan Yamoah 4.90m 07-Feb
Atsu Nyamadi 3.50m 06-Dec
High Jump
Atsu Nyamadi 2.01m 01-Feb Personal Best
Long Jump
Atsu Nyamadi 7.34m 01-Feb Personal Best
Mohammed Abubakar 7.32m 06-Feb Personal Best
Michael Bruce 7.23m 30-Jan Personal Best
Triple Jump
Nana Owusu-Nyantekyi 15.34m 07-Dec
Michael Bruce 15.15m 07-Feb Personal Best
Atsu Nyamadi 15.04m 06-Dec Personal Best
Shot Putt
Atsu Nyamadi 14.20m 09-Jan Personal Best
John Ampomah 14.13m 09-Jan Personal Best
