Lagos, Nigeria – Nigeria’s sprint stars Favour Ashe and Iyanoluwa Bada emerged champions in the men’s and women’s 100m finals on Day 2 of the MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays, held at the Yabatech Sports Complex. Ashe recorded a time of 10.28 seconds, outperforming Chidera Ezeakor (10.38s) and Thankgod Igube (10.49s) to clinch the men’s title.
Bada, maintaining her dominance in women’s sprinting, crossed the finish line in a wind-assisted 11.30 seconds (+2.6m/s), securing gold ahead of Flore-Julie Krakre and Janet Adesiyan, who clocked 11.86s and 11.90s, respectively. Six-time national champion Patience Okon-George showcased her skills in the women’s 400m, finishing first with a season-best of 52.67 seconds.
Former national champion Samson Nathaniel demonstrated his prowess in the men’s 400m by winning in 46.71 seconds. Benjamin Magaji matched his personal best with a time of 48.04s for second place, while Deji Sholotan finished third with 48.31s. The junior categories also displayed thrilling performances, with John Caleb winning the boys’ 100m title in 10.45 seconds, beating Qudus Akintoye (10.65s) and Abdulrahman Jimoh (10.75s).
In the junior women’s 100m final, Team MTN showcased dominance by sweeping the medals. Lucy Nwankwo broke the 12-second barrier for the first time, winning gold with a personal best of 11.99 seconds. Mercy Ogbonna and Azeezat Muhammed Raji took silver and bronze with times of 12.16s and 12.18s, respectively, all improving from their previous semifinal personal bests.
The middle-distance events were just as competitive, with Hamid Sambo emerging victoriously in the men’s 1500m with a time of 3:59.12. Ronke Akanbi won the women’s 1500m event, while the long jump produced some surprises. Rukevwe Godsgift Nwagbowu dethroned favourite Ibukun Daramola in the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.47 meters. Daramola secured second place with 7.39m, and Jeffrey Miracle took third with 7.25m.
In the women’s long jump, Mary Adeniran achieved a personal best of 6.14m to clinch the title, surpassing Glory Jarrett and Precious Okoronkwo, who took second and third, respectively. The two-day competition at Yabatech and Unilag Sports Complexes highlighted Nigeria’s emerging athletic talent, reinforcing MTN’s commitment to grassroots sports development.
