It is
historic in every sense of the word in that it goes down in the record books as
the very first time the most prized sports award is going to a female performer
in the 27-year-old life span of the awards.
Another feather
in Margaret's cap, which makes her award more unique
is the fact that she will go down in history as the youngest athlete ever to
have won that title. What is more, Maggie's latest landmark puts her in the
ranks of former SWAG Sportsmen of the year like D.K. Poison, Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, Leo Myles-Mills, Abedi Pele, Samuel Osei Kuffour,
among others.
What
obviously merited this prestigious award was her
sterling performances at the 17th Commonwealth Games and African
Athletics Championships in
In the
Commonwealth Games especially where she emerged as Ghana's only medallist, it was a dream that nearly never came true, but
for a late intervention by officialdom to ensure a speedy processing of her
visa at a training camp in Italy.
Though she
had targeted gold, that was not to be as the late
arrival of the 20-year-old ebony-black at the games according to her in a later
interview, affected her performance so much in the initial events, especially.
Having attained such height, the athlete of the year award was only a matter of
course as she picked that as well.
Without
question, the male Footballer of the year award was deservedly won by Hearts'
playmaker, Charles "Terror"
Taylor
whose exclusion from the Black Stars team for Mali 2002 early this year
resulted in a huge public uproar was simply exciting and outstanding in
performance as he combined his outwitting skills and art of goal-scoring to
inspire Accra Hearts of Oak to their record sixth consecutive league title this
year.
And after
his scintillating display in the Black Stars' 4-2 demolishing of Rwanda in
Accra in which he captained for 30 minutes, and crowned a glorious afternoon
with a great goal, many were those who described him as the nation's best
player, having towered above all the foreign-based players who featured in that
match.
His female
counterpart in that category is La Ladies and Black Queens’ midfield
revelation, Florence Okoe.
For their
remarkable silver-winning exhibition at the recent third Africa Women's
Championship in
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 31 December 2002 - Ghana’s Black Satellites will storm Burkina
Faso today with one main agenda - to qualify for the World Youth Championship
in the United Arab Emirates in March next year.
That dream,
if realised, would have ensured a three straight
qualification to the world stage after their predecessors set the trail in the two previous Africa Championship.
In the 1999
edition hosted by Ghana, for instance that generation won gold to secure
qualification to the world event held in Nigeria to set the stage for their
successors to win the Africa silver in Ethiopia last year, while making it
grander in the world Championship held in Argentina with another silver.
This is the
standard the new generation of the Satellites are bent
on attaining when the continental U- 20 championship opens in
According
to the Satellites' head coach, Anthony Kwabena Edusei,
after clinching the World Cup ticket, the team can then go to any length
towards annexing the ultimate trophy. According to the regulations, the first
four teams qualify for the World Cup.
Any fears
coach Edusei harboured
prior to the championship were, to a large extent, allayed last week following
the decision to include four experienced players in the team to boost their
chances.
The four,
Derek Boateng, Razak
Ibrahim, Sulley Muntari and
Patrick Villars, were key members of the flamboyant
2001 squad. Though the coach is convinced about the capabilities of these stars,
the same cannot be said of his apprehension about their assimilation to enhance
cohesion in the team in respect of their late arrival.
He was at
least impressed with the work rate of Villars and Muntari who joined their colleagues in camp last weekend
and featured in their final trial against Abedi Pele's Nania F.C. which saw the
latter netting the only goal of the match.
Though
coach Edusei had wanted some more foreign exposure
for the team, he believes the kind of preparation his team had had will be
enough to see them through in
The
Satellites' squad comprises other players like Ernest Papa Arko,
Kwadwo Poku, Yusif Chibsah, Habib Mohmmed, William Thompson, Daniel Coleman, Saliu Muntari, Louis Agyeman,
Michael Ocansey, Abubakari Yahuza, Lukeman Moro, Jonathan
Quartey and goalkeepers Alex Agyepong and Isaac Amoako.
The
competition opens with the game between
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Coaltar (Eastern Region)
The items
also included, a set of jerseys, and a First Aid Box.
Presenting the items, Nana Abeasi said the items are
his personal contribution towards the development of sports in the area. He
called on non-governmental Organisations and
philanthropists to contribute to the development of sports since the government
alone cannot shoulder all the responsibilities.
Skipper Addo Gyan, who received the items
on behalf of the club, thanked Nana Abeasi for his
kind gesture and promised that the club would strive hard to gain promotion to
the national division one league in 2003.
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