The opening day of the 2025 Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) U18/U20 Championships in Abeokuta delivered an exciting start as Burkina Faso, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco, and Uganda took early control of the medal standings, while hosts Nigeria registered their first podium finish through Praise Ikwesi.
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Nigeria Gets on the Podium
Praise Ikwesi gave Nigeria its first medal of the competition, winning bronze in the men’s U-20 high jump event. Ikwesi, who competed alongside teammate Melvin Ododo, cleared 2.03m before missing out at 2.06m. South Africa’s Mateo Le Roux clinched gold in the event.
Event Highlights
Triple Jump (Women’s U-18):
🥇 Zongo Zalissa (Burkina Faso) – 12.79m
🥈 Merzaq Kawtar (Morocco) – 12.61m
🥉 Chniba Feriel (Tunisia) – 12.16m
Triple Jump (Women’s U-20):
🥇 Belkhadar Nassima (Morocco) – 12.63m
🥈 Zongo Awa (Burkina Faso) – 12.52m
🥉 Temoso Masikane (South Africa) – 12.20m
3000m (Women’s U-20):
Uganda’s Bentalin Yeko claimed the gold medal with a strong finish, ahead of Trhas Gebrehiwet of Ethiopia and Joyline Chepkemoi of Kenya.
1500m (U-18 Boys and Girls):
Kenya asserted dominance in middle-distance running, sweeping gold in both boys’ and girls’ U-18 1500m finals.
Looking Ahead
With 15 final events scheduled for Day 2 at the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Team Nigeria will look to build on Ikwesi’s bronze and push for more medals. Key finals to watch include the boys’ and girls’ 100m sprints and the mixed 4x400m relay.
The 2025 CAA U18/U20 Championships continue to showcase Africa’s emerging track and field talents, with fierce competition expected across all categories
 U18/U20 Championships in Abeokuta delivered){kind=link}