Team Nigeria Finishes Third At African Senior Athletics Championship
Team Nigeria finished third on the final medals table amassing 11 medals in total at the 22nd edition of the African Senior Athletics Championship, which ended on Sunday in Mauritius.
Nigeria with five Gold, three Silver and three Bronze medals finished behind Kenya and South Africa who had 10 and 9 Gold medals, respectively.
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi ensured that Nigeria finished ahead of fourth placed Algeria with the Gold medal he won on the final day of action in the men’s Shot Put event.
Nigerian Record holder in the men’s Shot put Chukwuebuka Enekwechi defended his African Championships title in style by erasing his previous Championship Record (CR) of 21.08m set at Asaba 2018, replacing it with a Season’s Best (SB) and new record of 21.20m to win Nigeria’s fifth GOLD medal of the competition.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games Silver medallist opened his account with an effort of 20.21m, following it up with a throw of 20.11m. He went further with marks of 20.29m and 20.46m respectively, and then produced his winning distance of 21.20m on his fifth attempt.
South Africa’s Kyle Blignaut took the Silver with a mark of 20.60m as Mohamed Magdy of Egypt settled for Bronze with 20.33m. The second Nigerian listed in the event, Dotun Ogundeji, finished 4th with a throw of 19.11m.
Mike Edwards (Men’s High Jump)
The final day of the 22nd African Senior Athletics Championships in Mauritius, Mike Edwards became the first Nigerian man to win an African Championships medal in the men’s High Jump since the 1996 edition in Yaounde, when National Record (NR) holder, Anthony Idiata, won Silver with a distance of 2.16m.
Twenty-six years later, Edwards claimed his first ever medal for the country with a clearance of 2.15m to also win Silver, bringing his second appearance at the African Championships to a fitting end.
He narrowly lost Gold to Algeria’s Hichem Bouhanoune on countback, with South Africa’s Mpho Links settling for Bronze, also with the same mark of 2.15m.
Sade Olatoye (Women’s Hammer Throw)
Sade Olatoye’s African Championships debut took off on a winning note as she overcame the threat posed by Algeria’s Zouina Bouzebra to win Gold in the women’s Hammer throw on Day 4 of the 22nd African Senior Athletics Championships in Mauritius.
It was a close contest between the Nigerian and Algerian as the latter’s first two throws of 59.86m and 59.66m landed farther than the former’s throws of 57.78m and 57.98m, respectively.
However, Olatoye who has a Personal Best (PB) of 69.89m in the event, dug deep to produce her winning mark of 63.67m at her third attempt and Bouzebra eventually had to settle for Silver with 63.48m. Egypt’s Rawan Barakat claimed Bronze with a mark of 62.67m.
Tobi Amusan (Women’s 100m Hurdles)
African Record holder in the women’s 100m Hurdles, Tobi Amusan won Nigeria’s very first medal of the competition as she overcame the wet and windy conditions at the Cote d’Or National Sports Complex.
She won the Gold medal with a wind-aided time of 12.57s on Day 2.
Womens 4x100m
On Day 3, the women’s 4x100m team bounced back into reckoning as they stormed to GOLD to claim the country’s 11th title in the women’s 4x100m in the history of the championships.
Tima Godbless, Praise Ofoku, Praise Idamadudu and Amusan proved too strong for their rivals and got the job done, coasting to Gold in 44.45s.
Chioma Onyekwere (Women’s Discus)
Meanwhile, National Record (NR) holder in the women’s Discus Chioma Onyekwere also claimed another Gold medal on the day as she successfully defended her African Championships title from Asaba 2018.
She claimed victory with a throw of 58.19m, inspiring teammate Obiageri Amechi to Bronze with a distance of 54.15m.
Obiageri Amechi (Women’s Discus)
Onyekwere inspired teammate, Obiageri Amechi, to win a Bronze medal in the Discus event with a distance of 54.15m.
In her first international outing for Nigeria, it was one to remember for Amechi as she became the second Nigerian to win a medal in the Discus event at the 2022 African Senior Athletics Championships.
Mixed 4x400m Relay
On Day 2 of the African Senior Athletics Championship, the quartet of Emmanuel Ojeli, Ella Onojuvwewo, Ayo Adeola and Patience Okon-George raced to a Season’s Best (SB) of 3:22.38 to win Silver in the Mixed 4x400m Relay in Mauritus.
In the Mixed 4x400m Relay event, Team Nigeria finished second to Botswana who won Gold in a time of 3:21.85, while Kenya took Bronze with 3:22.75.
Temitope Adeshina (Women’s High Jump)
Team Nigeria’s Temitope Adeshina also won Silver in the women’s High Jump.
On the day she arrived in Mauritus, Adeshina went straight into action in the women’s High Jump, clinching Sliver for jumping 1.79m in the final of the event.
Ghana’s Rose Yeboah won Gold with the same mark as South African Yvonne Robson settled for Bronze.
4x400m Relay
Also on the final day of action in Mauritius, Team Nigeria won bronze in 4x400m relays men and women.
First up was the women’s team which was a perfect blend of youth and experience, with Deborah Oke, Queen Usunobun and Ella Onojuvwewo banking on the experience of Patience Okon-George who has won medals in the women’s 4x400m at Marrakech 2014, Durban 2016 and Asaba 2018.
The quartet put up a spirited performance to beat Botswana to the Bronze medal in a time of 3.36.24. South Africa returned a time of 3:29.35 to win GOLD as Kenya posted 3:35.55 for Silver.
Inspired by the podium finish of their female counterparts, Johnson Nnamani, Chidi Okezie, Adeyemi Sikiru and Emmanuel Ojeli got round the baton to also win Bronze in the men’s category.
Team Nigeria in the 4x400m Men’s Relay finished ahead of Kenya with their time of 3:07.05, maintaining their position from Asaba 2018 which Okezie was a part of.
Botswana dominated the race, crossing the line in 3:04.27 as Zambia followed in 3:05.53. The men’s 4x400m event brought the curtains down on the 2022 African Senior Athletics Championships which took off on the 8th of June.
Chidi Nwoke/Making of Champions.
