By Akanimo Kufre
The MTN CHAMPS Athletics Classics in Calabar concluded on a high note on its third day, March 7, yielding several memorable moments, including Team Nigeria’s women’s 4x400m relay team qualification for the upcoming World Relays Championships slated for Botswana in May.
Led by veteran athlete Patience Okon-George, alongside promising young athletes Anita Enaruna, Treasure Okereke, and Jecinter Lawrence, the quartet achieved a solid 3:31.14, moving up to 21st in the World Rankings and displacing Mexico to secure their spot in this year’s World Relays, which will be hosted on African soil for the first time.
Team Ethiopia finished second with a time of 3:38.31, while Team Nigeria B placed third with a time of 3:40.50. This marks the second instance of a Nigerian team qualifying for the World Relays at an MTN CHAMPS competition, following the mixed 4x100m quartet’s achievement at the MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays in Lagos last year.
The men’s 4x400m team narrowly missed qualification, clocking 3:04.59, just under two seconds short of the required mark. Team Nigeria B finished second in 3:11.78, while Team Ethiopia placed third in 3:21.44. In the Junior Men’s 4x100m relay, Team MTN B emerged victorious with a time of 43.32, ahead of Team MTN A, who clocked 43.62.
Golden Edge secured the bronze medal with a time of 44.58. In the girls’ category, Grace and Gold won with a time of 48.89, finishing ahead of Secondary Commercial School Ibiaku Itam and Government Secondary School Idang. Team MTN’s Toheebat Jimoh secured another gold medal in the women’s 200m with a new personal best of 24.51, adding to her 400m title won the previous day.
Miracle Uwem Donald finished second in 24.59, while Odot Udo placed third in 24.88. Olaoluwa Obashola won the men’s 200m in 21.74s, running into a -2.0m/s headwind, with Joshua Wali and Ezekiel Asuquo finishing second and third, respectively.
In the Junior Women’s 200m, Miracle Ezechukwu and Rosemary Nwankwo of N-Youth replicated their 100m finishing positions, claiming gold and silver medals with times of 23.47 and 23.79, respectively. Etieno Israel of Lutheran High secured the bronze medal with a time of 24.60. Liberty Okon of Team Akwa Ibom won the Junior Men’s 200m in 21.90, ahead of Michael Aniche of Team MTN, who ran a personal best of 22.16.
In the Youth Girls’ 200m, Success Onu emerged victorious with a time of 24.90, ahead of Rebecca Enilolobo of Team BPS and Miracle Festus of Eagles International. Emmanuel Akolo of Team MTN completed a sprint double, winning the Youth Boys’ 200m in 22.45. Esther James of Community School Mbiaso claimed the Cadet Girls’ 200m title in 28.43.
Wisdom Archibong dominated the Cadet Boys’ race with a time of 26.47. In the field events, Samuel Kure of Team Nigeria dominated the men’s Javelin throw with a best mark of 77.50m, and Clergy Edet won the women’s High Jump title with a new lifetime best of 1.75m.
