Lartey, ranked second in Ghana,  finished second in an invitational table tennis championship held in the Ivorian commercial capital on June 16 to 18, after losing 2-3 to the eventual winner, Nigeria’s Aziz Jammeh, who he also played against earlier this year at the 2018 Commonwealth?Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

The tournament attracted some of the top players in the West?Africa sub-region,  with two  from Nigeria, two from Benin and two from Cote D’ivoire, with Lartey as the only Ghanaian.

He told the Graphic Sports in an interview, on arrival  last Friday in Accra,  that the competition was a huge morale booster ahead of the qualifying series for Tokyo 2020 Games.

“I am very happy about my consistency and the way i’m playing. Finishing second in the competition that attracted some of the best players did not only excite me, but I’m happy with my performance and hopeful for better prospect ahead. I will strive harder and not rest on my oars’, he stated.

He expressed gratitude to Mawuko Afadzinu, president of the Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), for his personal support as well as the association for their assistance which enabled him to participate in the Abidjan tournament, as it was self-sponsored.