By Andrew Abah
Team Nigeria made a bold statement on the opening day of athletics at the 1st African School Games, asserting dominance across multiple track and field events on Friday.
From the sprints to the jumps and throws, Nigerian student-athletes delivered impressive performances, setting the tone for what promises to be a medal-rich campaign.
In the girls’ 100m heats, Nigeria’s rising sprint princess and current African U18 champion, Miracle Ezechukwu, showcased her class by comfortably winning her heat with a time of 11.83 seconds, ahead of Gambia’s Beyai Amienata, who clocked 12.57 seconds. Both athletes advanced to the next round.
Another standout in the 100m was Rosemary Nwankwo Chogozie, who stormed to victory in her heat with an even faster time of 11.71 seconds, beating Côte d’Ivoire’s Bogui Aude, who finished in 12.08 seconds (qualified).
In the boys’ 100m event, Nigeria’s Akolo Emmanuel surged past the competition to win his heat in 10.93 seconds, while Algeria’s Bouhajdla Yaser followed closely in 10.98 seconds.
Meanwhile, in the 400m girls’ semifinals, Nigeria’s Jacinter Andrew impressed with a strong finish, winning her heat in 56.92 seconds. Rwanda’s Abizera Sonia (59.42 seconds) and Algeria’s Chiraz Boumendil (59.49 seconds) secured second and third places respectively to qualify for the next round.
In field events, Judith Ukandu clinched a bronze medal for Nigeria in the Girls’ Shot Put, recording a best throw of 13.89m, finishing behind athletes from Egypt and Tunisia.
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In another sport on Friday, Nigeria also featured in Beach Volleyball, where the team fell to Gambia 2-1 in a closely contested semifinal. They will now play for the bronze medal against Tunisia on Saturday morning.
