Teen sensation Joanita Borteye dominated the 2026 Damba Table Tennis Championships in Tamale on Saturday, May 30, 2026, clinching both the Girls Under-19 and Women’s titles at the Tamasco Old Assembly Hall.
The 17-year-old swept Lovelyn Ofori 3-0, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7, to win the Under-19 final. She then outlasted experienced campaigner Cynthia Kwabi 3-1, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8, to take the senior Women’s crown.
With two titles in one tournament, Borteye said the wins bring fresh expectations as she prepares for the African Youth Championship in Ghana.
“I’m feeling a lot of pressure right now because I won both categories, the Under-19 and the Women’s. This is preparing me for the African Youth Championship in Ghana, so there is a lot of pressure on me because I won the seniors category when all Ghanaians are waiting for me,” she said.
The double champion is determined to live up to the hype: “I’m going to prove to them. I’m going to do my best and be in the top four or the top two in the world that come from Ghana.”
Borteye’s Women’s final win was also personal. She had lost to Kwabi twice before in Ghana, but revenge came in Tamale.
“She is a very good player, and she has a lot of experience. What I was doing was just training, training very hard, because there are a lot of players in Ghana. But I told myself that this time around I am not losing. She beat me in Ghana two times, 4-1 and 4-3, and I beat her once in Koforidua 3-2,” she explained.
Borteye dedicated the double triumph to her support system: “I thank my coach, my mother, and my club, Rising Star Foundation, for supporting me in achieving my dream to be a top star in Ghana and beyond.”
