Nigerian sprinters, Miracle Ezechukwu and Favour Edet completed a sprint double to emerge winners in the Junior men’s and women’s 100m and 200m categories respectively at the MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays in Jos.
Ezechukwu of N-Youth Sports blazed into the air to win 100m race after clocking 11.26s and stormed to a massive Personal Best (PB) of 22.91s in the 200m race.
Her teammate, Rosemary Nwankwo, finished behind her, delivering a strong run to finish 2nd in a lifetime best of 23.17s in the 200m after her 100m disappointment. Lucy Nwankwo of Team MTN finished third with 23.76s dipping below 24s for the first time in her career. Team MTN’s Fervent Edet also completed a double, taking the Youth Boys’ 200m title in a PB of 22.32s ahead of Joshua Okon and Zikirullah Ibrahim.
In the Junior men’s 200m, Team MTN’s Michael Aniche showcased his quarter-mile strength, producing a powerful finish to snatch victory in a PB of 21.84s ahead of teammate Emmanuel Akolo, while Mahamat Sani placed 3rd in 22.19s.
Toheebat Jimoh continued her fine form, claiming her second title and third medal of the meet by winning the women’s 200m in a PB of 24.35s. She edged teammate Miracle Uwem Donald by the narrowest of margins, with Donald clocking 24.36s, while Esther Okon finished 3rd in 24.63s.
The men’s 200m final produced one of the biggest upsets of the day, as Enoch Dabo surged to a surprise victory in 21.69s, ahead of Team MTN’s Ejidezekiel Asuquo (21.78s) and Showers Ushie (21.82s).
Bernice Onoriode bounced back strongly from missing the 100m final to claim the Youth Girls’ 200m title in 24.79s, finishing ahead of Team BPS’ Rebecca Enilolobo (24.91s) and Chizoba Onyemauwa (26.47s) of Team MTN. She went on to cap an excellent outing by winning the Youth Girls’ long jump as well.
In the Cadet category, Praise Babatunde won the Boys’ title in 26.03s, ahead of Kyspan Bitrus (26.92s) and Hamisu Muhammad (27.27s), while Esther Adebayo claimed the Girls’ title in 28.36s, finishing ahead of Salama Hata (28.76s) and Chinaza Okoye (28.83s).