AFN Officials Excited Over Athletes’ Top Performance In Ghana

OFFICIALS of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) are in Cloud Nine, following the excellent performance of the athletes at the 13th African Games, which ended yesterday in Accra, Ghana. Team Nigeria finished second in the overall medals table behind Egypt, but the country was top on the athletics table with 21 medals made up of 11 gold, six silver and four bronze medals.

According to Sportsnow.com, the performance in Accra was AFN’S fourth best position in the history of the African Games.

Tobi Amusan led the gold winners list after she successfully defended her 100m hurdles title to become the first high hurdler to win three straight gold medals in the history of the Games.

Ese Brume followed with another historic performance, becoming the second woman to successfully defend a long jump title after Modupe Oshikoya.

Chidi Okezie also produced another historic moment, winning Nigeria’s first 400m gold in 37 years. The last time a Nigerian quartermiler mounted the African Games podium as champion was in 1987, when Innocent Egbunike ran a 44.23 Games Record to win the gold.

Chukwuebuka Enekwechi also carved a piece of history for himself as the first Nigerian to retain a Shot Put gold medal at the Games. Ruth Usoro hopped, stepped and jumped 13.80m to win the triple jump gold, her first in the Games.

Pamela Obiageri Amaechi also won her first African Games gold in the absence of defending champion, Chioma Onyekwere.

Chinecherem Nnamdi added his name to the list of Nigerian history makers after ensuring the country’s return to the African Games podium as champion for the first time in 29 years. He did it in style by setting an 82.80m National Record.

The Nigerian women’s 4x400m relay team lived up to billing to win their 10th straight gold in the history of the Games, while the men extended their chase for Nigeria’s first gold medal win in the event by another four years, 21 years after the team was last crowned African Games champion.