Home-based athletes set new records Ahead of C’wealth Games

Ghanaian athletes demonstrated their readiness for the upcoming 2014 Commonwealth Games in the maiden edition of the Sea and Shore National Athletics Championship which ended at the Baba Yara Sports stadium last week with Emananuel Asante Ofori emerging the overall best in the competition.

The most notable records were produced by Vivian Mills, Martha Bissah, Solomon Afful, John O’Brien and Shaukia Iddrisu, who are expected to show up in the nation’s colours at the Commonwealth Games next month.
The competition, which was sponsored by Sea & Shore Services (Gh.)Company Ltd and Interplast Ghana, saw awards given to the top three athletes in each event, as reflected by the points amassed over the earlier competitions during the season.
Athletes at each of the previous competitions  held in Wa, Sekondi and Koforidua, were awarded points based on their final positions.
Only the top eight point scorers in each event were invited for the Circuit final, with each event going into a straight final.
The one- day event was attended by both home and foreign- based athletes but the foreign- based athletes competed on non-scoring basis while the  top eight athletes in each event engaged in a straight final.
Emmanuel Asante Ofori amassed 66 points to emerge the overall winner of the Circuit Final, which first took place at Wa, in the Upper West Region, Sekondi and Koforidua.
The Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) won the discus throw with 47.80m toss, and came second in the shot put with 16.69m on the day, having won the previous competitions in Sekondi and Koforidua.
Upper West teenagers, Sakat Lariba and Elizabeth Azuure, had already shown much consistency on the track all season, having emerged victors in three editions of the inaugural Sea and Shore
The duo shattered the 22-year old national 3000m record held by Gifty Abankwa, who set the old mark of 9:46.8 in 1992 in Accra while Mary Zuta clinched the overall women’s javelin throw with  a personal best of 51.55m.
Vivian Mills capped her impressive displays throughout the season by winning the 200m event and crossing the line in a time of 23.97 ahead of Shawkia Iddrisu 24.65 and African Youth Games 100m silver medallist Janet Mensah.