The Ghana Youth Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of young Ghanaian’s – from creatives to politics, and including sport. The 2023 awards took place on the 12th December in Accra, the country’s capital and celebrates and honours outstanding Ghanaian youth.
Everyone at University of Nottingham Sport was delighted to see a member of the #GreenandGold nominated for Sports Personality of the Year award, and were even more thrilled when second year student and fencer Kelsey Woname was voted as the winner of the 2023 Ghana Youth Award. We recently spoke to Kelsey about this personal success and to also find out more about her story.
Really pleased to meet you Kelsey. Firstly, it’d be great to get to know a little bit more about yourself – how did you get into your sport?
I started fencing when I was eleven at the primary school that I went to in the south of England. My friends and I started it as a joke actually! They had an after school club with rubber swords and we just thought why not give it a go. Once we’d been there though the coach said that I was pretty good and that I should come along to some more sessions that they put on. So my mum started to take me along to sessions every Saturday and sometimes I did wonder why I was going to them, but I gradually started to get better and better.
I started with foil and then eventually began epee in year eight at my secondary school – Millfield. At that time I also just began to fence more and more, picking up sabre too so I am able to fence all three disciplines. I would say that I love sabre now. Also, around that time the Ghana International Committee contacted me to see if I would be interested in fencing for Ghana due to my heritage with my mum and dad being Ghanaian, and I thought it was such a cool opportunity.
I went to my first international tournament when I was thirteen which was a little bit brave because it was a much higher age range than me at the time! However, I just kept getting better and better. I’m now the captain of the team and we earned a bronze which was a great moment for me and the team. Unfortunately I’ve recently picked up an injury which is really bad timing for the Olympics in the summer which I was aiming towards.
When did you decide that you wanted to study at the University of Nottingham?
I always wanted to go to university to study law. Before I applied, I did some research to find out which universities were the best for fencing so I firmed Nottingham as my top choice. I also like playing other sports and Nottingham has the broadest range of sports available, and I’m really happy to also be a part of the cheerleading community here alongside my fencing.
Have you enjoyed your time here so far?
I’ve really enjoyed it. I love my course and I actually feel like I should make use of everything that we have here! I’ve only got one year left after this and I haven’t even been on the climbing wall yet for example. So when I’ve healed up, I’m looking forward to diving into more things on campus!
How have you found your time as part of the fencing community here at the University of Nottingham?
I love it - being a part of the women’s squad is so fun! Paul (Sibert) is a really good coach and is a really good mentor for me. All of the coaches are so supportive in helping us to improve, and the squad are a really close group. If we have anything we want to talk about, I find that they are always there to listen and we’re also always doing BeReal’s so it’s such a good atmosphere.
Unfortunately I obviously haven’t been able to fence with them so much this year, but last year was such a highlight. The team are progressing really well again in BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) and they have some big matches coming up which I’m looking forward to watching and showing them my support. They supported me when I won the award – texting me and reposting on their socials, as well as checking in on me with my injury. They’re almost like another family for me here.
Could you tell me a little bit more about your Ghana Youth Award?
Absolutely, I won Sports Personality of the Year and I feel that I won because I’ve stepped up from cadet (under 17 competitions) and juniors (under 21) into the seniors, which can lead into qualification for the Olympics. Although, when I began in the seniors I wasn’t even thinking about the Olympics – I was just thinking let’s give it a go and see how I can do! Last year was the African Senior Championships which I qualified for, and my performances boosted my world ranking from 400 to 117. I think it’s rare that Ghanaian fencers qualify for the Olympics and before my injury it was becoming a possibility because of my performances. I think that’s why I was nominated and chosen for the award.
Unfortunately I couldn’t actually go to the awards because of my university commitments. They don’t tell you whether you’ve won so I was sat watching the awards on my phone and couldn’t believe it when I won! It’s obviously good for me, but it’s also really nice for the people who have supported me such as my coaches and especially my parents. They’ve helped and supported me so throughout my fencing so I was really happy for them in a way too.
My aunty collected the award for me on the night and my younger brother also claimed an award because he fences too and is aiming for the Youth Olympics. We fence against each other a lot, and although I win all the time I try to help him where I can!
What are your longer term aims after you finish university?
That’s a really good question! I’m obviously really interested in Law and enjoying that here at the university, but I really want to pursue fencing further. If I can qualify for the Olympics then that would obviously be huge for me. The injury has set me back for 2024 but looking ahead to the future, I’d love to be into the law profession but also headed to the Olympics representing Ghana.
Even though you say you’re from the south of England, being captain of Ghanaian team – do you feel a strong connection to the country?
I really do still feel that connection. I’ve travelled to Ghana quite often and being a part of the national team is a really great experience. A lot of the fencers are around my age so I have good connections with them. One thing I struggle with a little bit is with the language which I’m trying to learn, but thankfully many people do speak English which helps. Ultimately, it’s nice to be able to represent my heritage and make my family and parents proud. My grandma would always try to watch me before fence she passed away so in many ways I’m also fencing for them which is a something I’m really proud of.
Everyone at University of Nottingham Sport would like to congratulate Kelsey on her fantastic achievement and look forward to seeing her continue to fence for the #GreenandGold over the next year.
Find out more about Performance Fencing at the University of Nottingham here.
Posted on Wednesday 14th February 2024