One of Ghana's most notable Olympic achievements came in 1992 when they reached the semifinals and eventually secured a historic bronze medal. In athletics, sprinter Aziz Zakari gained attention in the 2000 Sydney Games, where he reached the finals in the 100 meters.
The nation has won a total of five medals: three bronze in boxing, one bronze in football and one silver in boxing.
Despite challenges, including funding and training facilities, Ghana continues to inspire through its athletes, showcasing a rich sporting culture. The nation's Olympic journey reflects its resilience and determination, embodying the spirit of competition on the world stage.
Below are all the winners of Ghana’s five medals at the Olympics:
Clement Quartey – Silver – 1960
Clement Quartey was Ghana’s first-ever Olympic medallist. During the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he secured a silver medal in the men's Light Welterweight (63.5kg) category.
In his run to the medal zone, he defeated Romania’s Mohamed Boubekeur, Iraq’s Khalid Al-Karkhi, South Korea’s Kim Deuk-Bong and had a walkover over Marian Kasprzyk before losing to Czechoslovakia’s Bohumil Nemecek in the final.
Eddie Blay – Bronze – 1964
Eddie Blay won Ghana’s second medal at the Olympic Games when he scooped a bronze medal in the light welterweight (63.5kg) category in 1964.
Blay shared the bronze medal with Tunisia’s Habib Galhia after both lost to Jerzy Kulej and Yevgeny Frolov in the semi-finals.
Prince Amartey – Bronze – 1972
Meanwhile, Prince Amartey also won a bronze medal in the middleweight division (75 kg) at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
Amartey, who died in 2022, represented Ghana in several tournaments and shared the podium with USA's Marvin Johnson in 1972.
Black Satellites – Bronze – 1992
In 1992, Ghana became the first African team to win a medal at the Olympic Games when the Black Satellites won bronze.
Having qualified from a group that included Australia, Mexico, and Denmark, the West African nation beat Paraguay in the quarterfinals on penalties but lost to Spain in the semi-finals. They, however, made amends in the third/fourth-place playoffs by beating Australia to win bronze.
Samuel Takyi – Bronze – 2020
Samuel Takyi secured bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, entering the history books after ending Ghana’s 29-year wait for an Olympic medal.
The West African nation had only won four medals since the inception of the Olympic Games, of which three came from boxing.
Takyi’s heroics in Tokyo, therefore, make him only the fifth Ghanaian (if you consider the Satellites as a collective unit) Olympic medallist.