Secret training helped me qualify to the Olympic Games - Samuel Takyi

Ghana’s Olympic Games prospect, Samuel Takyi has disclosed that he resorted to some form of secret training to help him earn qualification to the 2020 Olympic Games which has unfortunately been postponed to next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 19-year-old amateur boxer was among 10 Ghanaian boxers who participated in the African boxing qualifiers for the Olympic Games held in Senegal last month.

The promising amateur boxer defeated Isaam Masemse from Uganda in their 3rd place contest at the African qualifiers to earn a spot for Ghana at the Olympic Games.

Takyi who was the youngest in the Ghanaian team qualified alongside his captain, Sulemanu Tetteh as the only two Ghanaians to earn a place at the Olympic Games for Ghana in boxing.

Speaking for the first time on his journey to qualification, the Bukom-based boxer told TV3 in an interview that those secret trainings on his own during their stay in Senegal gave him an upper hand over his compatriots.

“I’m happy to qualify for the Olympic Games. I trained very hard in Ghana and our preparation was very good. We trained at Senegal as well but I had hope that I will qualify to the Olympic Games so I trained secretly in Senegal, that is why I qualified to the Olympics,” Samuel Takyi said in the interview.

Takyi says he looks forward to becoming the first gold medalist for Ghana at the Tokyo Olympics.