CAA U18/U20 Championships: Team Nigeria dominates Girls’ 100m, shines in Mixed Relay in Abeokuta

It was a spectacular day on Thursday for Team Nigeria at the ongoing African U18/U20 Athletics Championships in Abeokuta, as the young athletes delivered a thrilling performance to wow the energetic home crowd at the MKO Sports Arena.

The youngsters won a total of nine medals—three gold, three silver, and three bronze.

The highlight was a clean 1-2-3 finish in the Girls’ U18 100m final, a 1-2 sweep in the Girls’ U20 100m, and bronze medals in both the Boys’ U18 and U20 100m finals.

Nigeria also grabbed a gold in the mixed 4x400m relay and a silver in the long jump, capping off a dominant day on home soil.

With the eyes of the continent on Ogun State, Nigeria’s future stars didn’t disappoint in an electrifying afternoon of world-class athletics.

The loudest cheers came during the Girls’ U18 100m final, where Nigeria completed a clean 1-2-3 sweep.

Miracle Oluebube Ezechukwu, fresh off finishing her WAEC exams in Abuja just weeks ago, stormed to gold in 11.88 seconds, visibly overwhelmed with emotion after crossing the line.

Rosemary Nwankwo, who captained the junior athletes at the 22nd National Sports Festival, followed closely behind in 11.96s, while Mariam Jegede sealed the podium for Nigeria with a bronze in 12.20s.

The Nigerian momentum continued in the Girls’ U20 100m final, with another golden moment as Chioma Cynthia Nweke, a pre-race favourite, lived up to her billing.

Having posted the fastest time in the heats, she stayed composed to finish in 11.65s (-1.9m/s), clinching gold ahead of teammate Success Oyibu, who clocked 11.78s for silver.

Although Chiamaka Nwankwo narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth in 11.98s, her effort further underscored Nigeria’s depth in the sprints.

In the boys’ events, Nigeria secured two bronze medals in tightly contested races won by South Africa and Kenyan athletes.

In the Boys’ U18 100m final, Clifford Igbigbidje finished third in 10.89s, while John Caleb ran 10.61s in the U20 final, also claiming bronze.

Team Nigerian athletes didn’t stop there. In the U20 Mixed 4x400m relay, the team pulled off a dramatic victory.

After a tense exchange of leads, Favour Onyah, running the anchor leg, capitalised on a stumble by South Africa’s final runner to bring home Nigeria’s third gold medal of the day.

Off the track, the vibrant crowd was joined by top dignitaries and sports leaders.

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CAA President Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, Segun Odegbami, Olympian Mary Onyali, as well as NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko, Director General Bukola Olopade, and Ogun State Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele, all witnessed the action, applauding the performances and the spirit of competition.

One of the day’s biggest stories came from Kenya, where Simeon Araka made history by winning the Men’s U20 100m in 10.42s (-1.7m/s), becoming the first Kenyan ever to claim a sprint gold at the African U20 Championships.

He edged past South Africa’s Letebele and Nigeria’s John Caleb, signaling Kenya’s growing strength in sprinting—traditionally a West African stronghold.

“This is the beginning of a new era for Kenyan sprinting,” Araka said, eyes glinting with ambition. “I hope to follow in the footsteps of greats like Omanyala.”

As the championship enters its halfway mark, Team Nigeria sits high on the medal table, buoyed by its home advantage, spirited crowd, and an unstoppable crop of teenage stars.