By Michael Adesanya/Abeokuta
President of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Hamad Kalkaba on Sunday noted that Nigeria is solidifying its lead in sprinting with a pool of promising young sprinters for the years ahead.
Kalkaba disclosed this at a news conference of the closing ceremony of the 3rd CAA U-18/U-20 African Athletics Championships on Sunday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
He noted that this year’s competition showcased a high level of technical proficiency with notable performances in sprinting, middle-distance events, throwing and jumping disciplines.
According to him, South Africa is leading the competition with the highest number of medals adding that other countries have showcased their talents in all the events.
He said 940 athletes attended the competition with 362 athletes in the U-18 event and 578 athletes in the U-20 events.
Listing the individual highlights of the championships, Kalkaba revealed that Botswana’s Justice Oratile achieved a time of 45:38s in the U-20 400 meters, while three others also finished under 46s in the 400m.
His words: “South Africa’s Temoso Masikane finished with a leap of 16.03 meters in the U-20 Triple Jump event while Nigeria’s Honour Clement cleared 2.10meters in the High Jump event.
Also, Nigeria’s Favour Ongah ran 52s in the women’s 400meters just as Prestina Ochonogor jumped 6.7meters in the Long Jump event”.
Kalkaba noted that Africa is nurturing a strong new generation of athletes “as we have seen Algeria and Egypt reaffirmed their dominance in the throwing events”.
He added: “Kenya remains consistent in middle-distance running and South Africa excelled in hurdle events. Our host, Nigeria has solidified their lead in sprinting”.
The CAA President thanked the Nigerian government for “bailing us out after Algeria failed to meet requirements” adding that Algeria would be hosting the 2027 edition.
While speaking on the team Tunisia road accident, the President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, commended the swift response of the organisers, especially Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun who provided the necessary logistics to salvage the situation.
