The curtains fell on Day 2 of the Making of Champions (MoC) Grand Prix taking place at the Sports Complex of the Yaba College of Technology as the trio of Emmanuel Ojeli, Samuel Kure and Imaobong Nse Uko produced the best results of the day to win their respective events.

Already in the spotlight as the key protagonist going into the Grand Prix, Ojeli, who is the defending champion in the men’s 400m, lived up to expectations with a decisive victory over his opponents.

Running to Ojeli’s outside in Lane 3, Sikiru Adeyemi, who was the fastest across all heats on Day 1, took the early lead, leading Ojeli, who is the Nigerian No.1 in the 400m this year, by about a stride until the pair got to the top bend.

Emmanuel Ojeli runs the second fastest time of his career to win the men’s 400m.

There, Adeyemi began to tire out, giving Ojeli an opening he took advantage of. Heading into the home straight, Ojeli was in the lead for good, padding his advantage as he crossed the line in 46.25, the second fastest time of his career.

Adeyemi ran a Personal Best (PB) of 46.86s to finish 2nd, while Abdulramon Afeez placed 3rd in the race. In Final B, Victor Akhalu claimed victory in 48.03s.

In the women’s final, Uko extended her winning streak in major competitions to five as she clinched the win in the women’s 400m final. In her usual style, the National Festival Champion wasn’t the fastest out of the blocks, but when she got into her groove, there was no stopping her, clocking 54.41s for the win.

Imaobong Nse Uko on her way to winning the women’s 400m.

Deborah Adewale was 2nd, while MoC’s Blessing Oladoye clocked a PB of 55.11s to place third.

Elsewhere in the sprints, Rosemary Chukwuma made it a double as she added the women’s 200m crown to the 100m title she won on Day 2.

The recently crowned African Junior Champion in both the 100m and 200m ran a clean and crisp race to beat Amarachi Obi to the win. She clocked 23.86s, while Obi was 2nd in 23.99s, with Esther Peter taking 3rd in 24.29s. MoC’s Success Umukoro won Final B with a time of 24.53s.

In the men’s final, Emmanuel Arowolo was the man to beat as he successfully defended the title he won last year. MoC’s Favour Ekpekpe placed 2nd, while Idjesa Uruemu was 3rd.

On the field, Samuel Kure threw a PB and Meeting Record (MR) of 77.17m to win the men’s Javelin. Kure improved on his previous PB of 75.69m, which he threw last year at the African Championships in Asaba.

Blessing Ibrahim won a double for herself, claiming wins in the women’s Long Jump (5.98m) and Triple Jump (13.28m) respectively.

In the men’s High Jump, Best Ehire put together a series of good jumps with his best jump of 2.05m enough to give him the win. Queen Obisesan won the women’s Hammer Throw in a Season’s Best (SB) of 65.52m.

Best Ehire won the men’s High Jump.

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Deji is one of the leading Athletics journalists in Nigeria as he possesses a deep passion for PR and branding athletes. He has extensively covered a wide range of sporting competitions, both within and outside Nigeria, with a particular focus on showcasing African Sports Stories. In addition to his journalistic prowess, he is well-versed in Sports Management and Marketing.

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