Derek Abrefa Wins Table Tennis Medals In London

Ghana Top Seed in Table Tennis, Derek Abrefa aka Grand Master has made big name for himself and Ghana at the London Grand Prix Table Tennis Championship where he won Silver and Bronze Medals.

The experienced Abrefa who has represented Ghana at the Commonwealth and African Games was at his best on the table as he took the Silver and Bronze in the Men’s Band 1 and Restricted Men’s Singles respectively.

The 2023 Grand Prix attracted over 200 top players from Romania, Poland, Holland, Scotland, Russia, India, Nigeria, Germany and USA taking part in one of the biggest Table Tennis events in the United Kingdom.

Abrefa who was in excellent form had an excellent start, topping his group as he progressed to the Round 32.

He was beaten by a Romanian who got the gold, while he received the Silver.

In an exclusive interview, he thanked his fellow players of the Black Loopers, colleagues at Ghana Immigration and coaches; Eben Whyte, Raphael Munkoh and Eric Hammond as well as the executives and president of the Ghana Table Table Association (GTTA), Mr. Mawuko Afadzinu who is also first vice president of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC).

Abrefa is on record as one of the most decorated Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Award winners. He still wants to win more of the SWAG Awards because, he said it inspires him to be the best.

His former national team mate, Emmanuel Asante won Gold in the Band 3 event and impressed in the Band 2 event at the Grand Prix.  

“My Europe training tour in preparation towards the 2024 African games has helped me improve my skills. I am very happy about my recent performance and believe that with this training continuing till 2024, me and my team mates would win a medal for Team Ghana” he told Yours Truly.

By Sammy Heywood Okine