Accra, Aug. 14, GNA - Mr. O. B. Amoah, a deputy Minister of Education and Sports has observed that the success stories of heptathlete Margaret Simpson and long jumper Ignatius Gaisah at the Helsinki World Athletics competition gives hope to the nation in next year's Commonwealth Games.

Gaisah, Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Sports personality of 2004 won silver in the men's long jump dominated by American Dwight Phillips while pin-up girl, Simpson, was a bronze medallist in the heptathlon.

Ghana is now placed 22nd in the 38-nation table topped by the United States of America with 24 medals - 13 gold, eight silver and three bronze.

The deputy Minister said their achievements have put Ghana on the World athletics map and has also shown that with a little bit of motivation the sky would the limit at the Commonwealth Games. He said it was sad that one of the nation's medal hopeful Aziz Zakari could not live-up to his hype but expressed the hope that he would make amends at the Commonwealth games to prove his critics wrong. Mr Amoah was of the hope that these three athletes would be the lynchpin around which team Ghana would revolve.

He congratulated the athletes and their handlers for a good show and for making the nation proud.