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Ghanaian Paralympian, Raphael Botsyo Nkegbe, has returned home after a successful tour of the USA where he clinched three gold medals in separate wheelchair racing competitions.
His first triumph came in Spokane, Washington, where he defended his title in a special 12km race, finishing in 36 minutes and 45 seconds.
Although he secured a second-place finish in the 800m race in Spokane, he later claimed another gold medal in the 10km road race (Men’s Open Masters division) in New Jersey, completing it in an impressive time of 25 minutes and 36 seconds.
Additionally, Nkegbe triumphed in the 100m race of the Desert Challenge in Phoenix, Arizona, earning him yet another gold medal.
Nkegbe expressed his satisfaction in winning gold in the highly challenging races and revealed that he had initially aimed for a clean sweep in all the events but finished second in the 800m race in Spokane due to exhaustion which enabled his fiercest challenger to overtake him close to the finish line.
“I was leading in the second lap but just about 50m to the finish line, the guy came back strongly to overtake me again.
My arms were a bit tired at that point and couldn’t continue any further, so he came to overtake me to pick the gold. I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to win gold in all the races I ran,” he told the Daily Graphic while reflecting on the race.
Nkegbe described the tour as eventful and highlighted the exposure it provided him. He plans to capitalise on the experience as he prepares for the 13th African Games in Ghana and the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
Source: myghanadaily
