Five Ghana sports highs of the year

It was relatively a good and a bad year for Ghana sports, but the sporting fortunes of the country ended on a bright note, with Emmanuel Game Boy Tagoe winning a world title and the Black Queens finishing third in the African Women’s Championship.

Pulse Sports writer, Thomas Freeman Yeboah, has listed the top 5 high points of Ghana sports this year.

1. Emmanuel ‘Game Boy’ won a world title in boxing

Ghana’s Emmanuel Tagoe (27-1, 13 KO’s) claimed the vacant IBO lightweight belt following a 12-round unanimous decision win over South Africa’s Mzonke Fana (38-11, 16 KO’s) at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra. It was Togo’s first world title bout and he made Ghana proud by dropping his South African opponent twice in round one before dominating him for the rest of the rounds to win the IBO lightweight belt

2. Ghana won two medals in the Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation(CWF) Youth Championship in Malaysia: Gold and Silver

In a year that Ghana sports suffered from the lack of money syndrome, the Ghana Weightlifting Federation under the chairmanship of Ben Nunoo Mensah secured sponsorship to finance the team’s participation in the Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation(CWF) Youth Championship in Malaysia. Christian Amoah won gold in the 85kg category at the ongoing Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation(CWF) Youth Championship in Penang, Malaysia while Richmond Osarfo also won silver in the 94kg.

3. Wa All Stars won the Ghana Premier League-historic

The Wa lads became the first side from the three Northern regions (Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions) to win the Ghanaian topflight league in the 2015-16 season. They defied all odds by making the Wa Park a fortress-went throughout the season undefeated at home.

READ MORE: AFCON 2017

4. Latif Blessing won the Ghana Premier league topscorer cum best player

The Liberty Professionals talisman was indeed the most sensational Ghanaian player in 2016, winning a double of the Ghana Premier League topscorer and the best player awards. Despite operating from an attacking midfield position, Blessing scored an incredible 17 league goals to beat off competition from Yahaya Mohammed and Kwesi Donsu to win the goal king. His tremendous form has earned him a Black Stars call-up, as the team prepares for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.

READ MORE: AFCON 2O17

5. Black Queens won bronze in the 2016 African Women’s Championship in Cameroon

The Senior National Women’s Football Team of Ghana ended a decade of failure to qualify for the knockout stage of the African Women’s Championship and further went ahead to place third in the championship by winning bronze following an incredible display, despite poor preparation for the tournament due to financial challenges.