Young stars shine as MTN CHAMPS grand final opens in Uyo

The MTN CHAMPS Grand Final got underway in spectacular fashion at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Tuesday, as young athletes from across Nigeria delivered standout performances on Day 1 of the national school and youth athletics showcase.

The event, which brings together rising stars from secondary schools and local clubs, featured a packed schedule of sprint and quarter-mile races across youth, junior, and senior categories.

In the men’s 400m, Victor Sampson—known for his dominance at the NDDC Sports Festival—led all qualifiers with a swift 46.55 seconds.

Johnson Nnamani (47.00s) and Michael Ighogboja (47.54s) followed with strong runs.

Odot Udo set the pace in the women’s 400m, recording a personal best of 53.85s—the fastest of the day.

Rhoda Adisa also posted a lifetime best of 54.01s, while Rita Munachiso rounded out the top three with 54.69s.

Junior athletes made their marks as well.

Team MTN’s Ezekiel Asuquo, fresh from a gold-medal win earlier in the series, maintained his momentum with a 48.00s finish to top the junior men’s 400m.

Chidiebere Obed (49.33s) and Stephen Adejumo (49.57s) also impressed.

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Miracle Sonny led the junior women’s 400m heats with 54.75s, edging out Elizabeth Olumide (54.85s) and Team MTN’s Toheebat Jimoh (55.83s).

In the Youth Boys’ 100m, Onyemech Peter Onoriode came within a breath of the championship record, clocking 11.10s—just 0.01 seconds shy of the mark set in Season 1 by Alvin Onyeama. Team MVP’s Tunmise Ebimetan (11.34s) and Akolo Emmanuel (11.36s) were not far behind.

Team MVP also dominated the Youth Girls’ 100m with Enilolobo Rebecca (12.64s), Bernice Onoriode (12.69s), and Promise Egbebe (12.71s) recording the top times.

At the end of Day 1, Delta Secondary School led the Youth Girls’ standings with 10 points, ahead of Charity School (8 points) and Ikot Ibiok Girls (6 points).

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Akwa Ibom topped the Junior Mixed category with 20 points, while Cross River took control of the Senior Mixed division, leading with 21 points—well ahead of Chosen International and other contenders.

With 2,187 athletes from 136 schools and 93 teams competing, MTN CHAMPS is targeted at providing a premier platform for discovering and developing Nigeria’s next generation of track and field stars.