Abuja 2003: Ghana wins first medal

Abuja, Oct 9 - GNA - Ghana won her first medal at the Eighth All Africa Games holding in the Nigerian Federal Capital of Abuja when the Black Loopers, the male Table Tennis team picked a bronze on Wednesday night.

Though the Ghanaians lost 1-3 to Algeria in a match to determine the third and fourth places, both teams were awarded bronze medals in accordance with the rules of the Games.

The lone Bronze puts Ghana at the 13th spot alongside Cote d' Ivoire and Mauritius.

Eric Amoah won the only match for the Ghanaians against Algeria when he defeated Djaziri Abdelhakim 3-2 in the first match of the contest.

Boudjadji Mohammed turned the tide when he beat Nana Yaw Boateng 3-1, while Mokrane Youcef consolidated the lead of the Algerians with a 3-2 win over Eric Hammond before Djaziri sealed it for the Algerians with a 3-2 win against Nana Yaw.

To get to the medal zone, the Ghanaians had beaten Ethiopia 3-0, South Africa 3-2, Mauritius 3-2, Sierra Leone 3-0 and Congo DR 3-2. The only blemish on the part of the Ghanaians during the qualifying stages was a 0-3 loss to Egypt.

Nigeria won the gold, while Egypt picked the silver.