Team Nigeria continued with their impressive outing in Athletics at the ongoing All African Games, winning five medals: one GOLD, three Silvers and a Bronze on Day 2 of the Championships.
There were doubts over his participation, but National Triple Jump champion Tosin Oke put all that behind him as he leapt to victory in Brazzaville recording a mark of 17.00m. It was a one-two finish for Nigeria as Olamide Olamigoke joined Oke on the podium, finishing 2nd with a leap of 16.98m, a feat he achieved with his third attempt.
Oke successfully defended his All African Games title, and he has now won five titles for Nigeria. Also, he is guaranteed a place at the Rio 2016 Olympics having met the qualification mark with with win on Monday.
In the women’s High Jump, Doreen Amata missed making it a third consecutive All African Games title, finishing 2nd to take Silver with a clearance of 1.85m. The seven-time national champion left the field limping after not going past 1.91m. She requested that the bar be raised to 1.91m after failing in her first attempt at 1.88m, but it was not to be her day as Seychelles’ Lissa Labiche won the GOLD clearing 1.94m. Motunrayo Sasegbon finished 5th with 1.80m.
Track Events:
Ogho Oghene Egwero won Silver in the men’s 100m, running a time of 10.17s to finish behind Ivory Coast’s Ben Meite Youssef who won took GOLD clocking 10.04s. Wilfried Koffi Hua won the Bronze clocking 10.23s. Nigeria’s Seye Ogunlewe finished 4th with a time of 10.45s and Nicholas Imhoaperamhe 7th in 10.52s.
Cecilia Francis ran a Season’s Best of 11.53s in the women’s 100m, but it was not enough to get her on the podium having finished 5th. Marie Josee Talou won the 100m title with a time of 11.02s, and Eunice Kagogo Silver in 11.47s, Pon Karidjatou Traore got the Bronze in 11.49s
In the men’s 110m Hurdles, Tyron Akins was disappointed with himself for not winning GOLD, screaming after the race as he came through in 3rd with a time of 13.54s to take the Bronze. Akins told Making of Champions after the race: “I was disappointed not to win. I obviously wanted to win this for Nigeria,” he said. South Africa’s Antonio Alkana set a new Championship Record (CR) 0f 13.36s to win GOLD, with Lyes Mokdell taking Silver in 13.49s.
The duo of Lindsay Weyinme and Oluwatobilola Amusan both qualified for the final of the women’s 100m Hurdles. Amusan won the last heat with a time of 13.11s and Weyinme 3rd in her’s with a time of 13.38s.
Meanwhile in what was a shock to even himself, Orupke Erayokan yet again proved that the tides have turned as he powered to victory in the second heat of the men’s 400m with a time of 44.95s. It was a new Personal Best (PB) for the 2012 National Sports Festival champion, who has now done two PBs in two days. Although Botswana’s Isaac Makwala will be the favourite to win, Orukpe is in the form of his life and would hope to finish on the podium on Tuesday.
Nathaniel Samson Oghenewegba also ran a PB in his own 400m race, clocking 45.86s to finish 4th, however, it wasn’t enough to get him through as one of the fastest losers. Robert Simmons didn’t finish his race, clutching his right thigh as he approached the last curve to the home-stretch.
While in the women’s 400m, all three Nigerian athletes made it to the final with Patience Okon-George and Margaret Etim taking the first two positions in heat 1 in 51.77s and 52.34s respectively. Tosin Adeloye joined them in the last eight, finishing 2nd in her heat with a time of 51.24s.
Agbike Egbeniyi finished 8th with a time of 2:09.36 in the women’s 800m. Nigeria’s quartet of Peter Odele Tega, Obinna Metu, Divine Oduduru and Egwero combined effectively to post a good time in the final heat of the men’s 4x100m which they won in 38.97s to qualify for the next round.
In the Decathlon, Peter Moreno’s slip in the men’s 110m Hurdles cost him some points and a podium finish as he closed out at 6281 points after his 1500m. Moreno fell after clipping one of the barriers, but he mustered enough courage to finish.
With Nigeria winning more medals on Day 2, they will hope for an improvement on that tally in the Day 3 events.
