From the streets of Hohoe, Ghana to Birmingham, England

Finding table tennis on the streets of Hohoe

Table tennis may be one of the lesser-known sports in Ghana, but in Hohoe, a town in the country’s Volta Region, it is a culture. So much so that this culture trickled down to Millicent and influenced her love for the sport.

“I found table tennis on the streets of Hohoe during my infancy,” Ankude told Olympics.com.

There was a table tennis spot close to her primary school and during break time, she would go with her friends, pay “something small” and play till it was time to resume classes.

It was through her immense display of talent that she caught the eye of a table tennis coach, Raccoson Prah, who decided to scout her to play at the district level at Hohoe in 2008.

“This man noticed me playing and discussed the potential I have in the sport with my parents and fortunately they accepted that I could join his team and play.”

While she was in senior high school, a different coach, David Senyo Ahiagbah, took Ankude under his radar. He recruited her into his club at the time, Vilcabamba, and helped honed her skills further by designing a training regiment for her.

« He organised local competitions for me in the Volta Region with an intensive training to boost my confidence in the sport, » Ankude added.

After graduating, she decided to dedicate two years to playing table tennis professionally where she featured in tournaments across Ghana including in Greater Accra, the Volta Region, the Central Region, and the Eastern Region.

“During this time, I dedicated six days to training non-stop. They were very intense training (sessions) from 6 am to 6 pm. I never complained because I really loved it and I knew what I wanted to do,” she said.

During this time, she was scouted and attained a full scholarship to study for a degree in administration at the University of Ghana, Legon, while playing table tennis for the school.

“Entering uni was a big step for me. Finding the balance between table tennis and school was a bit difficult but I found my way regardless,” she said.

She fulfilled the table tennis clause in her scholarship by participating in the Ghana University Games (GUSA), a bi-annual sports tournament for Ghanaian universities.

She won two medals for the University of Ghana during the 2018 GUSA Games in Legon, Accra. These were in the mixed doubles and women’s team events.

After that specific GUSA Games, she participated in the West African University Games for her school in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where she won bronze in singles and women’s doubles.

“It was really difficult because the Nigerians are a tough nut to crack. Being in the top four, I believe I did exceptionally well,” she recalled.

That set her up to take the biggest plunge into the unknown.