Former Nigerian jumper, Yusuf Alli, has described Nigeria’s trip to the 4th Africa Youth Games in Angola as a fruitful and rewarding. Alli, who heads the National Sports Commission’s (NSC) Elite Athletes Board, is part of the nation’s contingent to Angola for the Africa Youth Games, which started on December 10. Speaking with The Guardian yesterday, he declared that Team Nigeria made a lot of discoveries in many areas, including track and field.
“As we did at the last CAA Africa Junior Athletics Championships in Abeokuta earlier this year, our stronghold in athletics was well secured here in Angola. We all know that Nigeria’s strength over the years has been in the sprints, relays, jumps and quartermiles, and that was evidenced in the CAA Juniors and here in Angola. And from the records our young athletes just set here, our long-held tradition is not at risk of being extinguished,” Alli said.
He recalled that at the CAA Juniors held in Abeokuta this year, in the U-18 100m women’s final, Miracle Ezechukwu, Rosemary Nwankwo and Funke Jegede won gold, silver and bronze respectively while in the U-20 category, Chioma Nweke won gold, Success Oyibu picked silver, but Chantel Lou Yoman of Côte d’Ivoire narrowly edged out Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nwankwo to the bronze.
“This dominance stretched to the women’s U-18 200m where Miracle Ezechukwu won gold, Chigozie Nwankwo silver and Perezide Sigah bronze. In the U-20 category, Success Oyibu, Chioma Cynthia Nweke and Lucy Nwankwo won gold, silver and bronze, respectively, making it a total sweep of the medals by Nigeria in the 200m women. The Nigerian relay teams were equally domineering at the CAA Juniors.
“Here in Angola, Team Nigeria won six gold and five silver medals in athletics, and the breakdown tells the story of the future. Rosemary Chigozie Nwankwo won gold in the 100m girls; Tejirih Ugoh (200m girls’ gold) and Hafsoh Bisola Majekodunmi (400m girls’ gold). These are replicas of records by Mary Onyali and Falilak Ogunkoya-Osheku in their youthful days. These young girls have proven that they are worthy successors.”
Alli added, “Timothy Ugherakpoteni picked gold in the triple jump. The quartet of Miriam Jegede, Miracle Oluebube, Faith Ezechukwu and Jacinta Lawrence won the girls’ medley relay gold, a feat replicated by the boys’ quartet of Gift Gowon, Akolo Emmanuel, David Udoh and Tosin Solomon Essan.
“The silver medals also came in the nation’s events of comparative strength. Akolo Emmanuel won 100m boys’ silver; David Udoh (400m boys Silver); Godswill Nkemakolam (long jump silver); Gift Gowon (400m hurdles silver) and Perfect Faye (200m boys Silver).
“The major aim of the AYG in Angola is to strengthen the conveyor belt of talents and ensure that there is no future shortage of talent. This is already achieved in athletics,” Alli stated.
