Botsyo Nkegbe, who is in the United States of America USA, is preparing for his international assignments, especially the upcoming African Para Games which Ghana is going to host and wants his family and friends to witness.

According to him, the important issue is to gain qualification for Paris 2024 Paralympics Games which is his main target.

“I feel so excited for my first event of the year which came on the 7th of May, in the United States Spokane Washington, the 12 km road race. I was able to defend the gold medal I won in the Master’s division last year. I came fast this year once again in the Masters open division with a time of 36:45s. I might say it’s a good start after I left Ghana on the 4th of May this all forms part of my preparation towards my truck meets in Arizona on the 24th to 28th of May.

“Big thanks go to my host family who are in Spokane, Mr and Mrs Jonathan Brown, the Sports Equity lab and National Sports Authority (NSA) for all the support they have provided for me for my coming here to the States for these events,” he expressed.

“We need the support of the country and the corporate world because Ghana must win medals and it comes with motivation and hard work from the athletes.

“I have been financing all my trips and training but I don’t complain but we must make history in Tokyo,” he added.

These were the words of Ghana’s Mr Nkegbe when asked about his preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Mr Nkegbe, who is the Sports Writers Association of Ghana Sports Personality of the Year 2019, has secured qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games after winning the T54 World Wheelchair 100m race with his new personal best of 14.22 seconds at the Desert Challenge Games in Arizona, United States of America.

He easily won the T54 World Wheelchair 100m race which has given him an automatic qualification to the Tokyo 2020 (to be held this year) Paralympics and also makes him the second Ghanaian para-athlete to qualify for the world championships, after blind cyclist Fred Assor.

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He said things are not smooth and best for him as he prepares and prays that the government and companies associated with sports will come to the aid of athletes, officials and the National Paralympic Committee.

The T54 Wheelchair Race is a disability sport classification for differently-abled athletics in the track and jump events. The class includes people with spinal cord injuries who compete using a wheelchair in track events. They have paraplegia but have normal hand and arm function, normal or limited trunk function, and no leg function.

He was the captain of Team Ghana at the last Commonwealth Games and his experience makes him a favourite for a medal in Japan.

He plans to intensify his training programme in Cape Coast, and is appealing to all for support.

He had earlier been decorated with the 2019 Para Athlete of the Year.

In an exclusive interview with Yours Truly he revealed that his dream is to win a Paralympic medal for Ghana and is working hard towards achieving it.

The NVTI certificate holder, who is expertly trained in cane and basket weaving, leather works and shoemaking, revealed that sports took the better part of his life and he rose to fame.

He started para-sports as an amateur in 1993 and went professional in 2003. He disclosed that he had strength in his upper body so why not use it as he believes disability is not inability.

He has participated in wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and others over the years, but now his mind is focused on the tracks, doing his speciality, the 100m T54 race.

Since 2012, he founded the club called GoGetDem Wheelchair Racing Club with 10 members; five of them are in the national team. He is hoping others would come out of the streets and join them. The aim of the club is to improve the lives of disabled youth in rural areas, using sports as the tool to create opportunities.

Backed by a rich experience of four African Games, two Commonwealth Games and three Olympic Games appearances, he feels he can achieve his goal if he gets adequate sound preparation and financial support.

“Going to Tokyo needs a lot of preparation to win Ghana’s first Paralympic medal. I believe with God everything is possible. I am the record holder and number one in Africa as well as 6th in the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) ranking, so I can shock the world and win for Africa,” he expressed.

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He hopes to improve upon his good time of 14.20secs. in his next international race.

Raph is married to Ambiatu and they are blessed with three children, Eyonam Kelly Botsyo, Ralph Edem Botsyo and Paul Eli Botsyo.

He also thanked his church, the Apostle Revelation Society where top sportsmen like former SWAG award winners Isaac Dogboe and Professor Azumah Nelson also attend.

His role model and inspirer is American Jane Driscol who has won the wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon eight times. She invigorated him to believe in himself as a star, and others’ model.

“I still need help and support, I hope to meet the president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo and show him my award. Most disabled athletes depend on me, and any time I am on the track I feel like carrying six million disabled Ghanaians and I know they are also praying for me to win because when I come back somebody will benefit from a wheelchair or racing chair,” he said.

He expressed that the major challenges of disabled athletes are their equipment for competing and human support.

“We are also Ghanaians and we should be considered in planning and socio-economic development,” he stressed.