Ever heard of the nickname “Baby Jet”? I bet you have and you might probably be thinking towards Ghanaian footballer Asamoah Gyan.
Yes, the striker currently goes by that nickname, but before him there was another “Baby Jet” whose on-track speed really justified this alias.
Her name is Alice Annum, Ghana’s first medal-winning female athlete. Born in 1948 in Ghana’s capital, Accra, Alice rose to become a legend.
During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, she finished the 200 metres race with a time of 22.89 seconds. It turned out to be her personal best.
Although she’s very little known due to the unpopularity of other sports in Ghana aside football, Alice’s locker consists of many medals.
She won gold at the 1965 All Africa Games (long jump) in Brazzaville and added another silver at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
She also swept silver medals in both 100 meters and 200-meter races, before adding bronze in the 200-meter section of the 1974 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand.
Alice’s hard work and consistency saw her appear in three successive Olympic Games in 1964 (Tokyo), 1968 (Mexico City) and 1972 (Munich).
In 2010, the Action Progressive Institute in Ghana honoured the “Baba Jet” for her impact and achievements in sports.