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The MTN CHAMPS Benin Athletics Classics on Thursday got off to an electrifying start as over 2,000 athletes competed across two venues—the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and the UNIBEN Sports Complex.
On the opening day of the competition, athletes delivered remarkable performances, setting new season and personal bests as they signaled their readiness for the 2025 athletics season.
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Team MTN’s Benjamin Magaji stole the spotlight in the senior men’s 400m heats, clocking a personal best of 48.23 seconds to secure the fastest overall time ahead of the semi-finals and final.
Magaji, who was discovered at MTN CHAMPS Jos in Season 2, displayed excellent race tactics to maintain his lead and finish first in his heat. Emmanuel Baraburu (48.27s) and Emmanuel Salubi (48.53s) posted the second and third fastest times across all heats.
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In the junior (U20) women’s 400m, former National Youth Games silver medalist Miracle Sonny made a triumphant return to MTN CHAMPS, recording a personal best of 54.92s to win Heat 3 and finish with the fastest time overall.
Victoria Olaniyi also impressed, winning Heat 2 in a personal best of 55.62s to secure the second-fastest time, while Success Okoro emerged third overall after clocking 55.92s to win Heat 5.
The junior men’s 400m saw an outstanding performance from Gafar Badmus, who ran a season’s best of 47.94s to win Heat 6 and record the fastest overall time.
He was closely followed by David Akhalu, who took Heat 1 in 48.22s, while Eniola Shiro clocked 48.30s to win Heat 7 and secure the third-best time. Team MTN’s Ezekiel Asuquo finished fourth overall with a time of 48.92s.
In the youth (U17) girls’ 400m category, Elizabeth Olumide (58.20s), Team MTN’s Chizoba Onyemauwa (59.30s), and Agape Elisha (59.63s) were the fastest qualifiers for the semi-finals. The youth boys’ 400m saw strong performances from Emmanuel Chukwueweniwe, Oghenetega Abednigo, and Dominion Udoh, who emerged as the top qualifiers.
The junior women’s 100m semi-finals were highly competitive, with Mmesoma Ezeobi posting the fastest time of 11.88s, edging past Miracle Ezechukwu by just 0.01s. Other athletes who qualified for the final include Cynthia Chioma (11.89s), Success Oyibu (11.91s), Perezide Sigah (12.00s), Chinonso Odika (12.00s), Chigozie Nwankwo (12.09s), and Lucy Nwankwo (12.23s).
In the junior men’s 100m semi-finals, Caleb John dominated with a season’s best of 10.59s, finishing ahead of Juliand Efejuku and Abdulrahman Jimoh, who both clocked 10.71s.
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Also advancing to the final are Gift Bright (10.75s), David Osuya (10.82s), Joachim Uyovwiyoma (10.82s), Clifford Igbigbidje (10.89s), and Wilfred Awonusi (10.90s).
The long jump event saw another standout performance as MTN CHAMPS Season 1 & 2 MVP, Adaeze Ezeh, leaped an impressive 6.05m to claim victory in the junior women’s category.
Jennifer Osemijengie secured silver with a jump of 5.73m, while Franca Ajagbawa earned bronze with a mark of 5.59m.
The action continues on Day 2 of the competition, which runs from 13 to 15 March , with the 100m and 400m finals across all four age categories set to be among the major highlights.
The 4x100m relay heats will also take center stage as the athletes look to build on their impressive opening-day performances.
