Ghana has ended nearly four decades of waiting for continental table tennis glory.
On Sunday, July 26, the dynamic duo of Israel Aklie and Joanita Borteye delivered a masterclass at the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra, clinching the U-15 Mixed Doubles title at the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Championships.
Their triumphant run hands host nation Ghana its first gold medal of the championship and its first continental table tennis gold since the 1987 All-Africa Games in Nairobi, where Patricia Offei and Patience Opokuah took home top honors in the women’s doubles.
Coached by Robert Amartey, Aklie and Borteye thrilled the home crowd with a cool, composed 3-0 sweep over Tunisia’s Amori Amine and Ela Saidi in the final.
After digging deep to edge out the opening two tight games 12-10, 12-10, the Ghanaian pair pulled away in the third, closing out the match 11-6 to set off wild celebrations across the arena.
The path to the podium was forged in grit. In the semifinals, the duo pulled off a thrilling comeback against a formidable Egyptian pair. After cruising through the opening game 11-4, they dropped the next two before storming back to win the fourth and fifth games (11-8, 11-8) to punch their ticket to the final.
Speaking after the historic win, Borteye reflected on the determination that fueled their campaign:
”We promised our president and the fans that we would fight for gold, and we are happy we have fulfilled that promise. Every match was difficult, but we believed in ourselves and never gave up.”
Borteye added that is only the beginning, promising that the pair intend to build on this success and bring home even more hardware in upcoming international competitions.
Head coach Robert Amartey praised his players’ tactical discipline under pressure:
”Our objective coming into this championship was to win as many gold medals as possible for Ghana. Tunisia was a difficult opponent, but the players remained focused, executed the game plan perfectly, and have now made history.”
Amartey also expressed gratitude to the Ghana Table Tennis Association, the technical staff, and the local fans whose passionate backing buoyed the team throughout the tournament.
