African Youth Games: Nigeria Dominates Athletics

African Youth Games: Nigeria Dominates Athletics

Sampson Adedeji

Team Nigeria delivered a commanding performance as athletics events concluded at the fourth African Youth Games in Angola on Saturday, finishing with an impressive haul of 11 medals to underline the depth of the country’s emerging talent, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The Nigerian contingent secured six gold and five silver medals across track and field events, asserting clear dominance and rounding off a highly successful athletics campaign at the Games.

Nigeria made an early statement in the sprints, particularly in the women’s 100 metres, where Rosemary Chigozie Nwakwo stormed to gold with a winning time of 11.77 seconds.

She finished ahead of South Africa’s Oluchi Ndubueze, who claimed silver in 12.12 seconds, while Morocco’s Maria Saadi settled for bronze in 12.27 seconds. In the men’s 100 metres, Emmanuel Akolo added to Nigeria’s medal tally by winning silver after clocking 10.76 seconds, finishing behind South Africa’s Micah Africa, who won the race in 10.67 seconds.

The quarter-mile events further boosted Nigeria’s count. Hafsoh Majekodunmi produced a dominant display in the women’s 400 metres to claim gold in 55.16 seconds, finishing ahead of Ethiopia’s Desta Kurni and Congo’s Maguerita Athouaby.

In the men’s 400 metres, David Udoh also impressed, securing silver with a time of 47.77 seconds, narrowly behind South Africa’s Fairlie Jaydon.

Nigeria continued to feature prominently in the field events, with Godswill Nkemakolam winning silver in the men’s long jump after recording a best leap of 7.18 metres, finishing behind South Africa’s Jayden Fourie.

The hurdles and 200 metres events also yielded medals for the West Africans.

Gift Gowon picked up silver in the men’s 400 metres hurdles, while Tejiri Ugoh clinched gold in the women’s 200 metres, crossing the line in 23.95 seconds ahead of South Africa’s Isabella Gunter and Gambia’s Njie Adama.

In the men’s 200 metres, Perfect Faye continued his fine continental form by clocking a season’s best 21.47 seconds to earn silver.

The relay events provided a fitting finale to Nigeria’s athletics programme.

The girls’ medley relay team of Miriam Jegede, Miracle Oluebube, Faith Ezechukwu and Jacinter Lawrence combined effectively to win gold, while the boys’ medley relay quartet—Gift Gowon, Emmanuel Akolo, David Udoh and Tosin Solomon Essan—also delivered a gold medal performance. 

Nigeria’s overall showing on the track further reinforced the nation’s reputation as one of Africa’s leading producers of young athletic talent, with the 11-medal haul standing out as one of the highlights of the Games.