At the 22nd National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, a familiar name once again stood tallest, literally and figuratively, in the women’s pole vault event.
Hope Aruya, multiple-time national champion and one of Nigeria’s few elite female vaulters, successfully defended her title on Tuesday.
But even in victory, her biggest message wasn’t about medals; it was a passionate call to action: “We need more athletes in pole vault.”
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Despite a gold-medal performance at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena, Aruya’s main concern was the dwindling participation in one of track and field’s most technical disciplines.
Competing in a modest field of four, Bayelsa’s Hope Aruya cleared 2.95 metres to clinch yet another pole vault gold at the National Sports Festival, extending her dominance in the event.
She edged Chioma Okafor of Delta State, who secured silver with a respectable 2.75m, while Diouf Sokhna (FCT) and Elizabeth Joseph (Ogun) battled through technical eliminations to round off the standings in the bronze medal contention.
Aruya made an ambitious attempt at 3.10m, which also happens to be her personal best, but fatigue from competing in the triple jump earlier in the day proved too much.
“This is not my first time winning the festival. I just want to make a better jump each time, but I couldn’t do that today because of the stress I had gone through in the triple jump,” she explained.
Still, her voice carried urgency beyond personal performance.
“We are very few in pole vault. You people should encourage your friends in other fields to come and join us as well,” Aruya was overheard telling fellow athletes before speaking to reporters.
The veteran vaulter emphasised the need to grow the sport, noting how her passion has driven her to continue refining her craft over the years.
“Now I have more than four titles. My personal best is 3.10m and I hope to make it better,” she added.
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While the women’s event was marked by low participation, the men’s pole vault final, scheduled for Wednesday (today), promises a more competitive field with seven jumpers set to vie for the title.
As Aruya continues to raise the bar for herself and the sport, her message resonates as both a challenge and an invitation: Pole vault needs more stars, and Nigeria’s next champion could be waiting in the wings.
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