Derek Abrefa
{{short description|Ghanaian table tennis player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox table tennis player
| name = Derek Abrefa
| image =
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| fullname = Derek Tawiah Abrefa
| nationality = {{flagcountry|GHA}}
| residence = Accra, Ghana
| playingstyle = Right-handed, Shakehand grip (offensive)
| equipment =
| crank = 419 (May 2023){{Cite web|url=http://results.ittf.link/index.php?option=com_fabrik&view=details&formid=99&rowid=112642&Itemid=266|title=Player profile|website=results.ittf.link|access-date=2018-04-04}}
| hrank = 206 (October 2018)
| club =
| birth_date = {{Birth date |1992|02|15|df=y}}
| birth_place = Berekum, Ghana
| death_date =
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}}
Derek Tawiah Abrefa (born 15 February 1992) is a Ghanaian born table tennis player.{{cite web | url=https://oes.ittf.com/view/event/entries/e33449f4-4cc0-4383-b6a2-d151aa14e33c/general | title=ITTF – Online Entry System }} He started playing table tennis when he was in Presbyterian Senior High School, Osu as a student and junior national champion.{{Cite news|url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/sports/sports-news/abrefa-lartey-gear-up-for-chairman-s-cup.html|title=Abrefa, Lartey, gear up for Chairman's Cup|last=Larweh|first=Kwame|work=Graphic Online|access-date=2018-04-04|language=en-gb}} Derek being a junior ping pong player represented Ghana at the Africa Junior Championship in Alexandria, Egypt and the All African Games in Algiers, Algeria in 2007.
Abrefa is a two-time bronze medallist at the All Africa Games and Commonwealth and currently ranked number 1 in Ghana by the Ghana Table Tennis Federation.{{Cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/65765|title=Derek Abrefa|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|language=en|access-date=2018-04-04}} He is currently ranked 278 in the world by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).{{Cite web|url=http://results.ittf.link/index.php?option=com_fabrik&view=details&formid=99&rowid=112642&Itemid=266|title=Player profile|website=results.ittf.link|access-date=2018-04-04}}
Career
Abrefa started off as a junior ping pong player in the Africa Junior Championship in Alexandria, Egypt and the All African Games in Algiers, Algeria in 2007.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ittf.com/2018/02/10/derek-abrefa-aiming-restore-ghanaian-glory/|title=Derek Abrefa aiming to restore Ghanaian glory – International Table Tennis Federation|date=2018-02-10|work=International Table Tennis Federation|access-date=2018-04-04|language=en-GB}}
In 2008 he won gold and silver medals in the African Championship in Côte d'Ivoire. He was part of the team representing Ghana at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.{{Cite news|url=http://starrfmonline.com/2018/02/06/gold-coast-2018-ghanas-table-team-will-impress-derek-abrefa/|title=Gold Coast 2018: Ghana's Table Team will impress- Derek Abrefa – Starr Fm|date=2018-02-06|work=Starr Fm|access-date=2018-04-04|language=en-US}} During the commonwealth games in Gold Coast, Australia Derek has made the men's single match where he beat Sierra Leone's Emmanuel Gboyah in four straight sets, (11–5, 11–1, 11–4, 11–5).{{Cite news|url=https://www.ittf.com/2018/04/10/totally-different-home-derek-abrefa-adapts/|title=Totally different from home but Derek Abrefa adapts – International Table Tennis Federation|date=2018-04-10|work=International Table Tennis Federation|access-date=2018-04-11|language=en-GB}}
He also represented Ghana at the 2019 African Games in Rabat Morocco and he was appointed the general team captain{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2019-08-21 |title=AG: Abrefa appointed Team Ghana captain |url=https://www.ghanaiantimes.com.gh/ag-abrefa-appointed-team-ghana-captain/ |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=Ghanaian Times |language=en}} and was the flag bearer during the opening ceremony.{{Cite web |date=2019-08-20 |title=African Games 2019: Abrefa appointed captain for Team Ghana |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/African-Games-2019-Abrefa-appointed-captain-for-Team-Ghana-773466 |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=GhanaWeb |language=en}}{{Cite web |url=https://myjoyonline.com/african-games-derek-abrefa-named-team-ghana-captain/african-games-derek-abrefa-named-team-ghana-captain |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=myjoyonline.com |title=African Games: Derek Abrefa named Team Ghana captain – MyJoyOnline |date=19 August 2019 }}
More recently Abrefa won the GTTA Grandmaster Championship Men's Singles, which consisted of the Top 10 players in Ghana. He defeated Felix Lartey in the Finals.{{Cite web |title=Abrefa emerges winner of GTTA Grandmaster Championship |url=https://gna.org.gh/2022/01/abrefa-emerges-winner-of-gtta-grandmaster-championship/ |access-date=5 June 2023 |website=GNA.ORG|date=2 January 2022 }}
Career Records
{{Expand section|date=April 2018}}
He came first place in the January Westchester Open in the U2500 rating.{{Cite web |title=Derek Abrefa Wins Westchester Table Tennis Opens (U2500 Ratings) |url=https://www.newsghana.com.gh/derek-abrefa-wins-westchester-table-tennis-opens-u2500-ratings/ |access-date=2020-02-13 |website=News Ghana |language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.primenewsghana.com/sports/ghana-s-derek-abrefa-wins-2020-westchester-table-tennis-open-in-us.html|title=Ghana's Derek Abrefa wins 2020 Westchester Table Tennis Open in US|date=2020-02-02|website=PrimeNewsGhana|language=en-us|access-date=2020-02-13}} He also won bronze medals for Ghana at the All African Games in Brazzaville Congo in 2015.{{Cite web|url=http://www.myjoyonline.com/sports/2016/may-24th/derek-abrefa-and-emmanuel-commey-set-record-in-stanbic-bank-national-table-tennis-league.php|title=Derek Abrefa and Emmanuel Commey set record in Stanbic Bank National Table Tennis League|date=2016-05-24|website=myjoyonline.com|access-date=2020-02-13}}
Derek in May 2023 participated in the London Grand Prix Table Tennis tournament as he won a silver medal in the Men's Band 1 and bronze medal in a Men's Singles.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-01 |title=Ghana's Abrefa wins medals at London Table Tennis Grand Prix |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/Ghana-s-Abrefa-wins-medals-at-London-Table-Tennis-Grand-Prix-1778399 |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=GhanaWeb |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Okine |first=Sammy Heywood |date=2023-06-02 |title=Derek Abrefa Wins Table Tennis Medals in London |url=https://ultimatesportsghana.com/index.php/2023/06/02/derek-abrefa-wins-table-tennis-medals-in-london/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=Ultimate Sports Ghana {{!}} All your Sports News from Ghana |language=en-US}}
Honours
=National=
- 2x National Juniors Champion
- 13x National Seniors Champion
- 2x Ghana University Games Champion
=International=
- 2x African Zone '3' Juniors Champion
- London Grand Prix (Runner-Up, 2nd Band 2){{Cite web |date=2023-06-05 |title=Ghana Table Tennis Star Derek Abrefa Wins Bronze at Wilmont Cup Final in England – GHSportsNews |url=https://www.ghsportsnews.com/ghana-table-tennis-star-derek-abrefa-wins-bronze-at-wilmont-cup-final-in-england/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |language=en-US}}
- London Grand Prix Open Restricted (Bronze, 3rd){{Cite web |last=Heywood Okine |first=Sammy |title=Ghana Table Tennis Star Derek Abrefa Wins Bronze at Wilmont Cup Final in England |url=https://www.modernghana.com/sports/1235590/ghana-table-tennis-star-derek-abrefa-wins-bronze.html |website=modernghana.com}}
Awards
Derek has won six times the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) National Best Table Tennis Player Award Winner in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018 respectively.{{Cite web |date=2020-01-30 |title=Derek Abrefa Shines in US |url=https://dailyguidenetwork.com/derek-abrefa-shines-in-us/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=DailyGuide Network |language=en-US}}
Philanthropic Works
Derek embarked on a training tour in Accra training kids about table tennis and donating some table tennis equipments to them to help further their interest in the sport.{{Cite web |last=Larweh |first=Kwame |title=Abrefa supports communities with ping-pong equipment |url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/sports/abrefa-supports-communities-with-ping-pong-equipment.html |access-date=5 June 2023 |website=Graphic.com.gh}}
He was also engaged in motivating young girls to get into table tennis with support from the ITTF Table Tennis United Fund.{{Cite web |title=Ghanaian Star Derek Abrefa Motivates Local Girls – ITTF Foundation |url=https://ittffoundation.org/news/details/ghanaian-star-derek-abrefa-motivates-local-girls |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=ittffoundation.org}}
Derek who is currently based in the UK in June 2023 donated table tennis kits and sporting equipments to some selected schools and foundations in Accra, Ghana.{{Cite web |last=GNA |date=2023-06-15 |title=Ghana's table tennis star Abrefa supports clubs, schools with sporting kits |url=https://gna.org.gh/2023/06/ghanas-table-tennis-star-abrefa-supports-clubs-schools-with-sporting-kits/ |access-date=2023-06-25 |website=Ghana News Agency |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2023-06-15 |title=Table Tennis Star Derek Abrefa Donates Equipment To Sports Foundations in Ghana – Ghananews247 |url=https://www.ghananews247.com/table-tennis-star-derek-abrefa-donates-equipment-to-sports-foundations-in-ghana/ |access-date=2023-06-25 |language=en-US}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrefa, Derek}}
Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for Ghana
Category:Ghana at the Commonwealth Games
Category:Table tennis players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Category:Table tennis players at the 2019 African Games
Category:Ghanaian male table tennis players