A former athletics champion from the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics appears ready to forgive and forget, saying she is now prepared to lift the flag for her home country after last year accusing it of wanting to kill her career.
Martha Bissah took gold in the girls’ 800 metres discipline in Nanjing at the second ever Youth Olympics in August, 2014. Then 16 and showing impressive promise by streaking past several other more highly-ranked competitors, commentators were united in the opinion that Bissah was one to watch for the future.
Yet, the gold medalist instead found herself banned indefinitely by the Ghanaian Athletics Association (GAA) on account of the allegations of extortion she made against the Association.
Preparing in 2016 to peruse one of three opportunities for a scholarship abroad, Bissah alleged the GAA approached her looking for a payment of US$2,500 to continue her studies, ostensibly to purchase an air ticket, reported radio station, Joy FM, based in the Ghanaian capital of Accra.
Disgusted, Bissah turned her back on her home country and went to Norfolk State University (NSU), Virginia, USA, from where she recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
Last April, Prime News Ghana reported that Bissah said, “For now I don’t think so much about Ghana because I don’t get anything good from Ghana as a whole”.
But former chairman of the GAA and long time supporter of Bissah, George Lutterodt, last week urged Bissah and the association to settle their differences. He believes that unlike on the athletics track, there can be no winner under the present situation.
Present Chairman, Bawa Fuseini, maintained that the GAA position has not changed, meaning that it is still expecting an apology from Bissah.
However, the sporting superstar in the making who has also been dubbed Ghana’s Golden Girl has since given up a little ground, likely in order to bring an end to the stalemate. Modern Ghana reported on 26 December that Bissah said, “I want to win gold medals for Ghana whether in Africa or during the Olympics, and I am working so hard for this to be a reality.
“[I will] focus on the track now and this is the time to prove to my fans and people that I am the Martha Bissah they used to know.”
Bissah shot to fame in Nanjing in 2014 by becoming Ghana’s first Olympic gold medallist at any international event.
During her tenure at NSU, she garnered a total of 27 medals, among which she was Most Valuable Player of the Year three times, All-American Champion three times, Norfolk State Athlete of the Year three times and Outstanding Female Track Athlete of the Year, you guessed it, three times.
