The national boxing team, Black Bombers have raised the tempo of their preparations to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to a different level as they have moved into residential camping at the Golden Beach Resort under strict monitoring and evaluation by the Ghana Boxing Federation.
They now train at the Bukom Boxing Arena inside the Trust Sports Emporium two times in a day, one in the morning and second in the evening at 3:00pm. The other major consideration is that of the safety of the boxers and their controlled movement to stop any possible covid-19 infections.
Captain Suleman Tetteh a flyweight and 2012 Olympian is very happy that they have moved to camp.
Featherweight Samuel Takyi also said it is good that they are now in a different frame of mind and setting meaning time for the Games is getting near, while Shakul Samir a light heavyweight thinks they are set for a surprise.
Samir who was the last of them to qualify did so, on a global ranking system which was informed by his bronze medal-winning performance at the African Games.
Should he step into a ring to fight, Shakul will seal the status of the family as having three Olympians. His two elder brothers Bastie and Issah Samir are both 2008 Olympians from the Beijing Games.
There are two more boxers hoping to make it to the games when the final rankings are released. Female boxer, Dr Ornella Sathoud, a specialist in analytical chemistry hoping to be Ghana’s first female to make it to the Olympics and Jessie Lartey a 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist.
Ghana’s Amateur boxing team the Black Bombers and other qualified athletes will spend four weeks in Japan’s Eastern Pacific Coastal city of Inawashiro before starting their campaign in the Tokyo Olympics Games.
By Sammy Heywood Okine