Ghana's long jump history-maker Deborah Acquah: "Every competition is an opportunity to grow"
Deborah Acquah propelled Ghana to a historic first-ever medal in the women’s long jump event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the culmination of a long journey inspired by legendary track and field athletes.
“I was inspired by Mike Powell and Christian Taylor mainly because of their dedication, their technique, and incredible achievements,” the 27-year-old told Olympics.com in a recent interview.
The progression of her career to this point has been characterised by a diverse array of experiences. There have been valuable lessons and setbacks, but her resilience to persevere and continue pushing forward despite challenges have made Acquah stand out.
Deborah Aquah: From Tarkwa to Texas
Deborah Acquah’s journey in track and field began with her as a high jumper. “I remember my first experience was when I broke my high school record in high jump. My coach later on convinced me to add the long jump and triple jump to the mix and that is where I discovered my love for track and field,” she said.
The 27-year-old athlete subsequently got a sports scholarship to study at Fiaseman Senior High School, located in Tarkwa, Ghana. There, she participated in all three of high jump, long jump, and triple jump.
After senior high school, she decided to focus on the long jump and triple jump. Given her stellar performance, she acquired a scholarship to study Sports Management and Leadership Skills at Texas A&M University in 2019.
At this point, she had made the decision to dedicate her efforts to being a world-class long jumper.
As a freshman, she obliterated a 22-year-old long jump school record at the Ted Nelson Invitational tournament by jumping 6.57m, which netted her the ‘Newcomer of the Year’ award in 2020. That feat came on the back of her silver-medal-winning jump of 6.37m during the 2019 African Games in Morocco.
She dominated headlines in Ghana and Texas in April 2021 when she shattered Ruky Abdulai’s 14-year-old national record with a jump of 6.81m at the LSU Alumni Gold Meet, a month after setting a triple jump personal best at 14.27m. This was to be the closest she would come to meeting the required Olympic qualification standard, as the Tokyo 2020 qualifying mark in the women’s long jump was 6.82m – just one centimetre further than her achievement.
For Deborah, it is imperative “to stay motivated and focused in practice and competition”, a mindset she has developed over the years by setting goals and surrounding herself with a great team who spur her on to achieve her long-term targets.
“For me, I draw strength from the belief that every competition is an opportunity to grow and improve although it can be quite challenging, in my opinion,” she said through a soft chuckle.
But like all athletes, she has faced challenges including experiencing a decline in performance and injuries, especially as she previously had a lack of support when out injured.
“I overcome these challenges through my own capacity to withstand and recover from them because there is no support coming from anywhere. Perseverance on my part also played a role in overcoming these setbacks.”
Deborah Acquah of Ghana competes during the women's long jump final at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
Deborah Acquah’s magical 2022 summer at Commonwealth Games
Acquah broke her own personal record by leaping a world-leading 6.89m during the Texas A&M vs Texas Duel in April 2022, making her the number one long jumper in Africa and earning her the qualification standard for the 2022 World Athletics Championships, the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and 2023 African Games.
At the World Athletics Championships, she missed out on making it to the final but at the Commonwealth Games, despite attaining her visa just 48 hours before her competition, she still sailed through to the finals by topping her qualification group with a leap of 6.85m.
Just when everyone thought she had outdone herself in every aspect of her track and field career, she sprinted, she leaped and she propelled herself to a staggering 6.94m jump to become the first Ghanaian woman in history to win a bronze medal in long jump at the Commonwealth Games.
With that, she ushered herself into the company of Ignisious Gaisah and Joshua Owusu as the only Ghanaians to win a medal in long jump at the Commonwealth Games.
“This moment was one of my best memories and the highlight of my career in track and field. I had jumped my personal best, it was a Ghanaian national record, and it marked the first-ever medal in a women’s long jump event for Ghana,” Deborah recounted.
During the Games, she was recovering from an injury and before that historic leap, all she thought of was what her coach had told her about handling pain in competition: “put off the pain and then think about the moment.”
That was exactly what she did: she forgot about the pain though it hurt and executed her – and Ghana’s – best jump to date.
Acquah hopes to provide athletes with the belief and opportunities that were lacking in her own experience, fostering pathways for their success.
Her goal? “Inspire the next generation of athletes in Ghana and beyond by trying to be a positive role model, promoting the values of working hard, dedication, and sportsmanship.”