African Games 2023 high champion, Cadman Evans Yamoah says he finds inspiration in Cristiano Ronaldo as strives to carve his own path to success.

The 23-year-old won gold in the 2023 African Games in Accra last month, clearing a height of 2.23m to set a new personal record.

He chose Portuguese football icon, Ronaldo's famous 'siuu' celebration.

"When I cleared the height, I couldn't believe what I just did," Yamoah recalled in an interview with JoySports.

"If you see the reaction from the mat to the ground, I couldn't believe what I did."

For Yamoah, a former football player turned high jump sensation, celebrating his victory was an opportunity to pay homage to his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo.

"In the world of football, if you want a celebration that gets the crowd going, the siuuu celebration is one of the best," Yamoah explained.

"So when I got up from the mat and started swinging my index finger in the air, the only thing that came to mind was to get the crowd cheering, and Ronaldo is my idol, so he was the only one that I could think of."

The influence of Cristiano Ronaldo extends far beyond celebrations for Yamoah.

"Cristiano Ronaldo has a lot of impact on me," he admitted.

"His work ethic is one of the best. This is a guy who doesn't focus on himself, but he wants his team to succeed too, and we have seen that in so many of his games."

Yamoah's admiration for Ronaldo's dedication and team spirit transcends the world of football and has shaped his approach to athletics.

"Anytime they are down, he keeps pushing the team, and that's one thing I have learned from him during my days playing football to athletics," he explained.

"I want to really push myself to work hard, and I don't want to disappoint anyone."

Despite drawing inspiration from Ronaldo, Yamoah emphasises the importance of individuality in sports.

"I keep telling my teammates, Ebenezer and Ocansey, whenever I get to Ghana, they are watching jumps of Mutaz Barshim," the University of Central Missouri student revealed.

"I was like, everyone is different when it comes to high jump. If you watch Barshim, he has an incredible bend, others also go with power, so it is up to you to identify what you use in high jump."

His dedication to self-improvement is evident in his training regimen.

"Whenever we have track meets, all I ask my coach is to send me videos of my previous jumps," he shared.

"It is me competing against myself to better myself. I am not competing against Barshim or any other athlete. Don't get me wrong, Barshim is the best high jumper I know currently, but I am not going to idolise Barshim and do everything he is doing when our techniques are different."

The Ghanaian is hoping to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.