2019 African Games: Nigeria wins first gold in athletics

Team Nigeria won a gold and a silver medal on Monday in the first day of action in the athletics event at the ongoing 12th African Games in Morocco.

Though it was Dotun Ogundeji that set the ball rolling with a silver medal in the Men’s Discus event, Grace Anigbata got the first athletics gold medal for Nigeria; winning the women’s Tripple Jump event.

Anigbata won with a leap of 13.75m to add the African Games title to the gold she won at the Senior Athletics Championships in Asaba last year.

Anigbata contested against 13 other jumpers from across Africa which included Esra Owiss of Egypt, Dorothy Kavhumbura of Zimbabwe, Oumde Ajuda Ochan (Ethiopia), South Africa duo of Zinzi Chabangu and Patience Ntshingila as well as Nkouindjin Joelle Sandrine of Cameroon.

Others are Kenya’s Mbaika Mulei, Jama Chnaik (Morocco), Otow Akway (Ethiopia), Sangone Kandji of Senegal, Maryam Ellouke (Morocco), Lerato Schele (Lesotho) and Liliane Portiron of Mauritius.

With the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, setting an ambitious 20 gold medals target in Morocco, the federation would hope for more successes in the remaining four days ahead.

Already, the duo of Raymond Ekevwo and Usheoritse Itsekiri who won their respective semi-final races on Monday will be hoping for medals in Tuesday’s 100m men’s final.

At the last African Games in Congo, Brazaville, Ogho-Oghene Egwero won a silver medal for Nigeria in the 100m race.

There is also solitary hope for a medal in the women’s 100m final where Joy Udo-Gabriel will be contesting alongside the defending champion, Marie Ta Lou.