Meet Diana Kumbetel, the amputated long distance runner

Being a successful athlete in long-distance running requires utilising your upper body movement and improving your muscle balance but for 18-year-old physically challenged Diana Kumbetel, winning a major marathon remains her ultimate goal despite her condition.

The prodigy who got her right arm amputated at a very young age is determined to pursue her dreams of becoming a top athlete for Ghana in the near future.

In an interview with GNA Sports at the sidelines of the Sekondi-Takoradi Marathon where she placed 20th, Kumbetel said taking up the mantle to be a long-distance runner had been inspired by her older sibling who has made strides in her athletics career and she wants to emulate her.

"I started running back in 2018, mainly because my sister had been able to achieve her dreams of becoming a top athlete through sports. So I also want to use sports to get to the top level and achieve my dream of winning a marathon event in the near future.

"I want to be in the service be it Military, Police, and Navy, but I would have to work harder to achieve my target," said the Nadoli Junior High School student.

Mr. Boniface Boyende, the Chairman for Disability Sports in the Upper West Region and trainer for Kumbetel, in an interview revealed that he spotted the young athlete during inter-schools sports competition.

"I realized she had the zeal to become a top athlete, so I decided to nurture her and she has been improving ever since.

"Sometimes she feels shy when participating in such events but I do motivate and encourage her that she can do it among abled athletes and she has never disappointed me.

"She is a promising athlete in long-distance running and she would certainly go far," he said.

Kumbetel following her participation at the Sekondi-Takoradi Marathon is set to be enrolled on the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Foundation scholarship scheme.