Featured image by: Elijah Agurs | Lars Salomonsen (members of Team Liberia competing at 13th African Games)
Correction: March 14 @ 10:20a EST – This story was updated to show the correct days the Liberian boxing team is slated to compete during the preliminary rounds.
The 13th African Games are well on its way. Three members from the Liberia national table tennis team participated in the Opening Ceremony, which took place on Friday 8 March.
Those same athletes have completed their matches. First, Loretta Davis forfeited the women’s singles and mixed table tennis match with her teammate Arma Kamara. A few days later, Kamara and his other teammate, Junior Bogton Pyee lost to Algeria, in the men’s doubles. Each man also forfeited their single match.
Despite Liberia’s disappointing start at the African Games, three other sporting events remain for the team. We even expect to medal in some. Here’s who to watch.
Boxing
Liberia has four boxers registered for the African Games. Freddy Kiwitt, Grace Fahnbulleh (no immediate relation to sprinter Joseph Fahnbulleh), Jeroson Barkin Garduward, and Timothy Williams. Preliminary boxing matches start on Friday 15 March.
Boxing fans and spectators will be watching Kiwitt, who won the Super Welterweight world title in November 2023, closely. The welterweight boxer has the potential to perform well, based on past matches. He’s expected to fight against Egypt on Saturday 16 March.
Fahnbulleh, who GTL covered at the Paris 2024 Africa Qualifiers, will compete in her first match against Egypt, on Tuesday 19 March. Finally, Timothy and Barkin are scheduled to fight Uganda and Ghana on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
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Taekwondo
Four athletes have traveled to the African Games to represent Liberia in Taekwondo. Those matches will start Sunday 17 March and the specific event matchups will be posted after the weigh ins wrap up. Liberia’s taekwondo roster includes: Stana Ramirez, Janga V. Kamara, Enoch B. Gardea, and Moustapha Kamara.
Athletics
During the last week of the African Games, athletic events will run from Monday 18 March to Friday 22 March. Nancy Tokpah will kick things off for Liberia in the women’s 100m race on Monday 18 March.
Next, the three members from the 2020 Liberia Olympic Team will make their appearance at this year’s African Games. Emmanuel Matadi, who holds the men’s 100m record, and Joseph Fahnbulleh, the current men’s 200m record holder, will both run in the men’s 4×100 relay starting Tuesday 19 March.
Liberia will also debut a women’s 4×100 team at the African Games on Tuesday 19 March. Ebony Morrison, who represented Liberia at the 2020 Olympics and won a silver medal at the 2022 African Athletics Championships, will be a familiar face on the team. Newer faces, Shania Collins, Maia McCoy, and Destiny Smith-Barnett will join Morrison on the track.
Finally, Arthur Ben Quaqua, who’s had lots of success on the junior athletics national team, will represent Liberia in the men’s 200m event in round one of the men’s 200m on Thursday 21 March. Quaqua won a gold medal in the men’s 200m at the U-18 CAA Region II Athletic Championships, in 2022.