Three athletes vindicate coaches

Accra, Feb. 22, GNA - Three of the five local athletes selected ahead of the trials in Lome, Togo to join the foreign legions for this year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, have vindicated their selectors as they all won their races in the finals of both the men and women categories of the 100-metre event on Tuesday.

Clement Agyeman of CEPS who failed to make an early take off from the starting blocks, delivered a late blistering finish to clock 10: 04 secs in the men's final to beat Cyril Ferguson of the Western Region and Nathan Akpegba of Immigration Service to the second and third positions respectively, with the two both clocking 10:06 secs.

The other two, Gifty Addy of Immigration Service and Elizabeth Amolofo of the Police Service were first and runner-up respectively in the finals of the women's event. Gifty made a time of 11:6secs with Elizabeth finishing with a time of 11:7 secs.

The other two of the five "favoured ones", Robert Martey and Georgina Sowah, both long jumpers from CEPS, would have the opportunity on Wednesday to prove why they merited that special dispensation. The five selected athletes would add up to the 16 from Europe and the Americas who had automatic entry because of their active ventures on the tracks on the international scene as well as monitoring of their exploits.

The rest of the 137 Ghanaian athletes from the security services and the schools and colleges are fighting for a place in the August All African Games squad scheduled for Mauritius.