Team Nigeria Wins Two More Medals As 23rd African Senior Athletics Championships in Douala Ends
By Maxwell Kumoye with additional information by AFN Media Support Team
Team Nigeria, won one more gold medal on the final day of 2024 African Senior Athletics Championships in Douala, Cameroon.
The gold medal was won by the women’s 4×400m relay in a time of 3:27.31 seconds ahead of Botswana and Zambia. But it was not enough to qualify for the Olympics in Paris.
Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi, won a silver medal in the men’s Javelin with a throw of 79.22m, finishing behind Julius Yego of Kenya who threw 80.24m. Moustafa Mahmoud of Egypt was 3rd with 77.25m.
Yego becomes the second man in Championships history to win the title three times in a row, after South Africa’s Gerhardus Pienaar who won in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
Yego also made history to win the Javelin throw gold five times followings wins in 2012, 2014, 2018, 2022 and now 2024.
At the end of the grueling, feisty and equally scintilating six days of competition at the Stade de Japoma, in Douala, on Wednesday, Nigeria secured five gold, six silver and four bronze medals to finish second behind South Africa. Kenya that won the last edition came 3rd.
Nigeria finished third on the overall medal table at the 2022 edition held in Port Loius, Mauritius with 11 medals made up of five gold, three silver, and three bronze to rank behind Kenya and South Africa.
Team Nigeria got most of her medals from the women athletes, who won a total of four gold, three silver and two bronze.
Their male counterparts secured one gold, two silver and two bronze medals. With an additional Silver medal from the 4x400m Mix Relay.
Among the athletes, who defended their titles in Douala is Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, who won the men’s Shot Put event. He won the title at Asaba 2018 and retained it in Mauritius 2022.
Women’s discuss thrower, Obiageri Amechi upgraded her status by winning silver this time around, after she settled for bronze two years ago in Mauritius.
One of Nigeria’s most consistent athletes, Ese Brume, lived up to her hype as she retained her gold medal title in the Long Jump.
Nigeria’s Women 4x100m relay squad, led by Tobi Amusan easily secured the gold medal in Douala.
One major setback Nigeria on the track in Douala was Amusan’s inability to defend her women’s 100m hurdles due to illness.
New national Record Holder in the women’s High Jump, Temitope Adeshina, lost the gold to her Ghanaian challenger, as she had settle for silver medal.
Nigeria’s was hoping of winning two gold medals in the women’s 100m and 200m events, but those hopes were dashed after U.S. based sprinters, Favour Ofili and Rosemary Chukwuma pulled out of the Championships at the semi finals stage without the knowledge of the AFN technical officials.
This is Team Nigeria medal table at the Championships:
GOLD MEDAL
Men’s Shot Put:
★ Chukwuebuka Enekwechi
Women’s Discus:
★ Ashley Anumba
Women’s Long Jump:
★ Ese Brume
Women’s Relay:
★ 4×100m
Women’s Relay:
★ 4×400
SILVER MEDAL
Women’s Hammer:
★ Sade Olatoye
Mix Relay:
★ 4×400m
Men’s Javelin:
★ Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi
Women’s Discus:
★Obiageri Ameachi
Women’s High Jump:
★ Temitope Adeshina
Men’s Relay:
★ 4×100m
BRONZE MEDAL
Women’s Discus:
★ Chioma Onyekweri
Men’s Long Jump:
★ Goodness Iredia
Men’s 400m
★ Samuel Ogazi
Women’s 400m
★ Esther Elo Joseph
The 23rd African Senior Athletics Championships will go down in history as one of the most disorganized competition as testified by a good number of elite athIetes.
The next edition of the African Seniors Athletics Championships will hold at the University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana, in 2026.