Reigning National Sports Festival men’s 100m champion Chidera Ezeakor and rising sprint star Chinonso Odinaka dominated the track on Tuesday, completing a clean sweep of the 100m and 200m titles at the maiden AFN Golden League in Benin City.
The competition, staged at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, continued to showcase Nigeria’s elite athletes across sprints, hurdles and field events.
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Ezeakor, who had claimed the men’s 100m title on Monday, extended his dominance by winning the men’s 200m Final C in a personal best time of 20.83 seconds.
He finished nearly a second clear of Paul Otagba, who clocked 21.66s, while Enoch Dabo placed third in 21.76s.
Despite a challenging -1.6m/s headwind, Ezeakor maintained strong form from the bend into the home straight, underlining his technical efficiency and raw speed.
In the women’s 200m, Odinaka delivered another composed performance, winning Final A in 24.13s.
She narrowly held off Mariam Jegede (24.16s), while Purpose Excellence Akinpelu finished third in 24.53s. Odinaka’s sharp start and sustained drive proved decisive, even with a +0.4m/s tailwind assisting the field.
The 400m races also produced notable performances. Sikiru Adeyemi won the men’s final in a season-best 46.41s, ahead of Ighogboja Micheal (46.79s) and Kwashi Courage (47.90s).
In the women’s event, Siviana Ossai took gold in 53.53s, with Esther Peter (54.37s) and Udo Odot (54.43s) completing the podium.
Hurdles events mirrored the high standard on the flat. National Sports Festival champion Wisdom Musa captured the men’s 110m hurdles in 14.31s, followed by Abdullahi Abdulazeez (14.41s) and Uchechukwu Obi (14.81s).
In the men’s 400m hurdles, Oseiwe Salami emerged winner in 52.25s, narrowly ahead of Daniel Possible (53.01s) and Sodiq Adebisi (53.02s).
Field events were equally competitive. Clergy Edet claimed gold in the women’s high jump with a clearance of 1.70m, ahead of Francess Ajagbawa (1.60m) and Juliana Ademola (1.55m).
In the long jump, Olise Favour leapt 6.29m to secure victory, while Glory Jarrett (5.99m) and Okoronkwo Precious (5.92m) finished second and third respectively.
In the throwing events, Ukandu Judith dominated the shot put with a best throw of 12.07m, edging Ruqqayah Mustapha (12.04m) and Juliana Ademola (11.91m).
Mustapha later topped the discus throw with 42.87m, ahead of Emmanuella Kanu (38.49m) and Blessing Ifunaya Ukoha (35.47m).
Monday’s opening day had already set the tone, with Ezeakor clocking 10.32s to win the men’s 100m and Odinaka claiming the women’s 100m in 11.69s, alongside multiple personal bests in the field events.
The AFN Golden League continues to attract top Nigerian athletes across premium, classic and promotional events.
Premium disciplines such as the 100m and 400m carry prize money of ₦100,000 for first place, ₦80,000 for second and ₦60,000 for third, while classic and promotional events offer competitive rewards and performance bonuses.
The next leg of the series is scheduled for Lagos on March 18–19, where athletes will aim to build on the strong performances recorded in Benin City.
