Captain Abdulqudus Olawale Aliu has become the first Nigerian and African to win a silver medal at the World Youth Scrabble Championships as he finished second behind India’s Madhav Gopal Kamath.
Captain Abdulqudus Olawale Aliu ended the highly competitive held in Kuala Lumpur and gruelling Championship with 19 wins from 24 games and 1406 points behind Kamath, who recorded 21 wins with a cumulative 2354 points. Aehzam Ahmed of Pakistan came third with 17 wins and 1728 points.
It was a double celebration for Team Nigeria as Sophia Ebube Ekeruche became the first female from the continent to win the best female diadem.
Backed by the Chairman of Lagos State Scrabble and Monopoly Association (LSSAMA), Engineer Dipo Akanbi, Ekeruche fought her way against all odds by winning 15 and drawing two out of 24 games.
Ekeruche, the recently crowned Under-15 African Youth Scrabble Championships ‘Queen’, won five, drew on Day 1 and repeated the same feat on Day 2 by hitting five wins out of seven games to amass 867 cumulative points on the final day of the competition.
That result helped her to end the competition in the 12 position among 218 players from 16 countries.
Two other members of Team Nigeria Prestige Archibong and Joy Eberechukwu Nwabuzor finished the Championship outside the honours list.
Kenya’s best player at the end of the Championship is Dalton Njenga at number 113 position with the 12 wins and minus 14 points. Kenya was represented by 13 players.
Nepal’s Nityanta Chaulagain returned home without a win from 24 games and minus 4341 points.
BEST TOP 3
- Madhav Gopal Kamath – India
- Abdulqudus Olawale Aliu – Nigeria
- Aehzam Ahmed – Pakistan
