UG ATHLETE HOLDS QUEEN’S BATON AHEAD OF 2022 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

University of Ghana’s sprint gem Grace Obour together with other sports personalities in Ghana have carried the Queen’s Baton Relay through some principal streets in Accra ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in England.
 
The Queen’s Baton Relay is a tradition that celebrates, connects and excites communities within the Commonwealth as part of the build up to the Games.  The Queen’s Baton will visit all seventy-two (72) nations and territories across the Commonwealth in Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and Oceania ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The Queen’s message is placed in the baton before the start of the global tour, and it will be read during the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on 28th July, 2022.
 
Grace Obour represented Ghana at the African Games in Rabat, Morocco in 2019 where she won bronze medal in 400 meters for Ghana. She is currently the 2021 Ghana’s Fastest Human with a time of 11:69 seconds in the 100 meters sprint. This is a feather in her cap as she is known to compete in her preferred 400 meters event. Grace is the third best 400 meters runner in Africa. 
 
Grace who won gold in the 400 meters event at the 26th Ghana Universities Sports Association (GUSA) Games hosted by University of Ghana in 2020 reiterated her excitement and how emotional she was when she held the Queen’s Baton.
 
“I was excited and emotional at the same time to get the opportunity to be the Queen’s Baton bearer. Holding the baton inspires me not only to be a bearer of it but to train hard and remain focused on the goal to qualify for Birmingham and win a medal for my beloved country.”
 
The Games is scheduled for 28th July to 8th August, 2022 in Birmingham, England. Over four thousand five hundred (4,500) athletes from seventy-two (72) countries will be involved in the two hundred and eighty-three (283) events.