Burkina Faso drew the first blood at the ongoing CAA Africa U-18/U-20 Athletics Championships yesterday by grabbing a gold medal in the U-18 women’s triple jump.
 
The Burkinabe,  Zango Salisa, jumped 12.79m to get the gold ahead of Masat Kaota of Morocco (12.39m), while Finel Chidi of Tunisia settled for the bronze by jumping 12.26m.
 
Also yesterday, defending champions, South Africa, got their first gold through Natro Ler in the U-18 high jump event (2m).  Two Nigerians, Ikeki Daniel and Oddo Melvin, were second and third, respectively.

But despite Burkina Faso and South Africa’s early success, Team Nigeria’s athletes believe they have the quality to come tops at the championships, which started yesterday inside the MKO Abiola Sports Arena, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
 
The championships, featuring 43 countries, will run from July 16 to 20. A member of Team Nigeria, Prestina Ochonogor, a long jumper, said yesterday that she and her teammates would do their best to make the country proud.
 
“It is a privilege to compete in front of our people, and I am sure all our athletes are ready to face the challenges from South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, Egypt, and other countries. We will make Nigerians proud,” Ochonogor said.
  
Meanwhile, Athletics Kenya’s Head Coach, Paul Kemei, has reiterated that his team’s mission is to dominate the event. Speaking during a warm-up session at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, Coach Kemei said his young athletes, some of whom are competing for the first time at an international event, are in good spirits and ready to compete.
 
“We are here with a very young team of athletes, and they are determined to win in their various events. Apart from long distance, we also have sprinters who are good to go. But our main goal is grooming these athletes for the future, even as we intend to dominate the championships.”
  
He added that Abeokuta offers a very good atmosphere for competition. “Abeokuta is a nice place, very relaxed atmosphere, the track is excellent, and we are looking forward to competing,” he said.