Nigeria has emerged in overall third place finish of the 2022 African Senior Athletics Championships with 5 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze medals.
The 2022 African Senior Athletics Championships edition held at the Cote d’Or National Sports Complex, Saint Pierre in Mauritius took place from 8-12 June, 2022.
Kenya, like in Asaba 4 years ago, was first on the medals table across 45 events. while South Africa finished second overall.
Winners Of 2022 African Senior Athletics Championships [Nigeria]
Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan won Nigeria’s first medal (Gold) of the competition as she overcame wet and windy conditions to clock 12.51 seconds.
Chukwuebuka Cornnell Enekwechi won his second consecutive African title with a performance of 21.20 meters, breaking the African championships record he had set 4 years ago in Asaba (21.08 mters) in a very high quality podium with the top 3 athletes all above 20 metres.
Chioma Chukwujindu Onyekwere is the national record holder and claimed gold with a throw of 58.19 metres at the Discus throw.
Obiageri Pamela Amechi won bronze at the Discus event, throwing 54.15 metres. This is her first International outing for Nigeria. She switched allegiance from the United States in July 2019.
Oyesade Olatoye made history when she became the first Nigerian woman to win the gold medal in the hammer throw.
Temitope Adeshina won silver at the women’s high jump event clearing 1.79 metres. She lost to reigning Africa Champion, Ghana’s Rose Yeboah.
Mike Edwards won silver at the men’s high jump becoming the first Nigerian since national record holder, Anthony Idiata in 1996 to win a medal at the African Championships. Edwards cleared 2.15 metres. He switched allegiance from the Great Britain in 2018.
Team Nigeria men and women 4×400 meters clinched the bronze medals at the 2022 African Senior Athletics Championship.
4×400 meters relay: The quartet of Johnson Nnamani, Chidi Okezie, Adeyemi Sikiru and Emmanuel Ojeli reached the finish line in a time of 3:07.05 to finish behind second placed Zambia (3:05.53) and first placed Botswana (3:04.27).
4×400 meters relay: In women’s final, Deborah Oke, Queen Usunobun, Ella Onojuvwewo and Patience Okon George completed the relay in a time of 3:36:24 behind second placed Kenya (3:35.55) and first placed South Africa (3:29.34).
African Senior Athletics Championships
The African Senior Athletics Championships is a continental event organized by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA), the continental association for the sport in Africa. Since its inaugural edition in 1979 it was at first organised intermittently with nine editions held in fourteen years until 1993. Following the tenth edition in 1996 it has been organised biennially on even years, and is always held in the same year as the Summer Olympics. The 21st edition was held at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Nigeria in August 2018 and the tournament billed to host in Algiers in 2020was postponed in due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nigeria is the most decorated nation in the history of the Championships with 155 gold, 122 Silver and 91 bronze medals respectively; closely followed by Kenya (144 gold, 129 silver, 109 bronze medals), all from 1979-2018.