Akuafo and Legon Halls Winners of the UG@75 Inter-Hall Cross-Country Competition
The UG@75 Inter-Hall Cross-Country Competition ended on Saturday 11th March, 2023 with Akuafo and Legon Halls crowned champions of the female and male categories respectively. Akuafo Hall finished with a total of 39 points, while Legon Hall had a total of 41 points.
The competition made a return after 4 years due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time, the Loop Course was used for the competition. Athletes had to complete 5 laps of the 2km route to complete the 10km distance of the competition.
UG-PAAS Athletes Shine on Loop Course
Naomi Addo of Mensah Sarbah Hall endured the meandering route to finish first in the female category with a time of 40 minutes, 27 seconds. Coming in 2nd and 3rd place positions were Rosemary Arthur and Jennifer Mensah, both of whom completed the route in a time of 41 minutes, 17 seconds, and 51 minutes, 57 seconds, respectively. Legon Hall placed third with 68 points.
Naomi Addo, Mensah Sarbah Hall
The contest for podium finishes was more tense in the male category. Experienced Ishmael Arthur managed to knock Basit Afful off his perch to place first with a time of 31 minutes, 41 seconds, while the latter finished in 2nd with 32 minutes, 12 seconds. Salifu Seidu came in third, giving Legon Hall a clean sweep in the male category as they finished in the top 3 positions. Elizabeth Frances Sey Hall impressively finished in 2nd place, with Akuafo Hall taking the 3rd position.
(From Left to Right) Professor Agnes Budu, Salifu Seidu, Ishmael Arthur and Basit Afful
Out of the top 10 athletes for both male and female categories, 12 were admitted through the University of Ghana Policy on the Admission of Athlete Students (UG-PAAS) and are beneficiaries of the University of Ghana Sport Fund (UG-SF) giving credence once again to the efficacy of these strategies to the development of sports at the University of Ghana.
Coach Akuka praises athletes for their resilience.
The coach in charge of cross-country at the University of Ghana and former record holder of the UG Inter-Hall Cross Country Competition, Mr. Williams Awunime Akuka, recounted the loop course as part of innovations for this year’s Cross-Country competition at UG. He added that this is the standard course accepted for cross-country competitions worldwide.
Coach Williams Awunime Akuka
Mr. Akuka who was nurtured and developed as an athlete at UG and further supported to become a coach by the Sports Directorate commended the athletes for their great performance, taking into consideration the uphill task of running a loop course as juxtaposed to the road course used in the past. The veteran runner praised Ishmael, Basit, Rosemary, and Naomi for their sterling performances. He described the contest between these athletes as healthy and one that should spur the UG Cross-Country Team in the upcoming Ghana Universities Sports Association (GUSA) Cross-Country Competition early next month. However, he bemoaned the low participation of halls, as only five halls participated in total.
The Director of Sports, Dr. Bella Bello Bitugu, commended all and sundry for the various efforts in putting the competition together. He remarked that the bigger goal is to get a formidable team to represent UG at the GUSA Cross-Country competition, which will be hosted by UG on 1st April, 2023 as we seek to defend the trophy won at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho in 2022.
Dr. Bella Bello Bitugu, Director of Sports
Present at the competition were some members of the Sports Advisory Board and Sports Management Committee of the Sports Directorate; UG@75 Planning Committee members; Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Athletics Association, Mr. Bawa Fuseini; alumni and the media.