Senior Cadet Officer Yakubu Mubarak of Chiringa Platoon of the Ghana Military Academy (GMA) emerged the individual winner of the 2012 Senior Cadets Inter-Platoon Steeplechase competition held on Friday at Teshie.

Cadet Officer Mubarak won the 12-kilometre competition by clocking a time of 53 minutes, 48 seconds.

One hundred and eight Cadet Officers including 22 females participated in the competition which is a major activity on the GMA's calendar.

The event is aimed at fostering esprit-de-corps among the Cadets and to build their physical fitness and stamina as well as their mental resilience.

The GMA has three platoons- Abyssinia, Burma and Chiringa and the event was sponsored by Promasidor Ghana Limited, producers of the Cowbell products.

Participants were drawn from the Regular Career Course (RCC) 52 and Short Service Commission and Special Duties Course (SSC/SD) 51 and undertook a grueling endurance race laid on 12-kilometre circuit through difficult and undulating terrain, after which they cleared a chain of obstacles before ending the exercise.

Abyssinia Platoon won the inter-platoon competition with 1309 points, followed by the Burma Platoon with 1359 points and Chiringa Platoon had 1720 to become the last.

Senior Cadet Dorothy Blay was the first female Officer to cross the finish line was of the Abyssinia Platoon who registered a time of 1 hour 12 minutes and 7 seconds.

Brigadier-General Seidu Mumuni Adams, Secretary of the Ghana Armed Forces, commended the Cadets for their performance and the standard of exercise exhibited in the competition.

He said the academy is a unique institution where cadets are trained to defend the country against any internal and external aggression and urged the participants to continue with the exercise to keep them healthy.**