Ghana Athletics Association national circuit 200m record holder Hor Halutie says she is happy with her block starts after almost a month in camp at the Cape Coast stadium.

Hor, who holds the GAA’s Circuit 200m record with 23.85s(PB), has struggled with her starts in the past few seasons despite winning the 100m and 200m events at the last Circuit Championships last month.

In order to have faster block starts, she has been working on her starting block position and improving her acceleration out of the blocks.

“I was slow out of the blocks because I was not used to the blocks. I have worked with the blocks every day with Coach Sallah after the last Circuit in Sekondi,” she said.

She has been training under the watchful eyes of former national athlete and Eastern Region coach Salamatu Musah, who has been taking her through her paces, with special emphasis on the starting phase of the sprints.

Remarkably, she run four races at the first leg of the Circuit in Sekondi, taking part in the 100m and 200m heats before running the final where she clinched first place on both occasions.

“I will ran the two events on Saturday. I want to better my 100m time and lower the 11.71s I clocked in Sekondi.”
In training, I have done 23.7s in the 200m. I did 11.5s in the 100m while running alone. So with more competition, I will do much better.
A former student of Kumasi based sports power house, T. I. Ahmadiya S.H.S., Hor Halutie is hoping to make the final list to the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

“My prayer is to qualify for the Commonwealth Games. I will be very happy if I make it. I promise everybody that I will try my best. And I know if I qualify everybody will be happy for me.”

She was one of the athletes called into national camp at the Cape Coast stadium to prepare and meet the selection standards for the impending Commonwealth Games Gold Coast 2018.

Meanwhile, top second cycle schools in the Central Region will take part in special relay events as part of the Ghana Athletics Association’s Circuit Championships and Commonwealth Games Trails to be held at the Cape Coast stadium on Saturday, 24th February, 2018.

According to the GAA, the invited schools includes but not restricted to reigning Central Super Zonal champions St. Augustine’s College and other power houses such as Mfantsipim School, Adisadel College and Ghana National College, Holy Child School, Wesley Girls High School, Mfantsiman Girls and Aggrey Memorial S.H.S and others.

The initiative forms part of the GAA’s efforts to develop the sport by exposing young promising athletes to top level national competitions.

This will also be the last locally based event before the national team is named for the 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast. Among the invited dignitaries to grace the occasion includes the Minister of Youth and Sports, the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, the Colombian Ambassador to Ghana, the Central Regional Minister and the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly and the Member of Parliament for Cape Coast North.

In partnership with Just Because Fitness and Bond Financial Savings and Loans, the GAA organised event proved to be extremely successful. Some Ghana-based athletes improved their personal bests; one of the most notable records came in the person of Hor Halutie, who set a Circuit record in the 200m with 23.85s(PB). Other notable improvements came in the names of Faustina Amoah, Sarfo Ansah, Duncan Agyemang, Kwame Adjei and Edward Kwabla.

The Circuit, which is the biggest athletics meet on the domestic calendar, will serve to provide opportunities for Ghana-based athletes to qualify for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in April and the 2018 CAA African Championships in Nigeria in August.

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