It was a thrilling conclusion to MTN CHAMPS Season 3 for athletes at the MoC Athletics Academy – Team MTN, as the squad delivered a powerful performance at the Grand Final in Uyo, securing a haul of 16 medals as well as their second consecutive Junior title, making their presence felt as they racked up victories and Personal Bests (PBs) amongst other achievements.
With the tally in Uyo comprising 7 GOLD, 8 Silver, and 1 Bronze medal across various events, Team MTN built on their impressive performances from the first and second legs in Benin and Lagos respectively, improving on the 8 medals won in Benin and 14 medals secured in Lagos, along with the trophy in the Junior category.
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For the second consecutive meet, Ezekiel Asuquo emerged as the standout performer for Team MTN.
The rising quarter-miler captured double GOLD in the Junior (U-20) men’s division in Uyo, winning the 400m in 47.49s and later storming to victory in the 200m with a swift 21.39s. In the heats, he raced to a new lifetime best of 21.35s in the 200m heats, which was the fastest time in the heats across both junior and senior categories.
Asuquo, who had stunned a favoured field in Lagos, extended his dominance once again and ensured a 1-2 finish for Team MTN in the 400m as teammate Stephen Adejumo won Silver in a close contest. Prosper Ushie was in the same final where he placed 6th in 50.21s as Emmanuel Obi finished 7th, also settling for 6th in the 200m final.
Team MTN’s Alvin Onyeama made his mark in the Junior men’s 100m, dipping under 10.8s to snatch Silver in 10.72s, a remarkable achievement for the young sprinter who had set a PB of 10.62s in the Lagos leg of Season 3.
Fellow Team MTN athletes Emmanuel Oyewale and Khalil Saleh also reached the Junior men’s final, finishing 6th and 8th respectively. Saleh set a new PB of 11.19s in the heats.
In the Junior women’s category, Team MTN maintained a strong presence as quarter-miler Toheebat Jimoh continued her impressive form by slicing nearly a second off her PB, clocking 54.30s to take Silver in the 400m.
Middle-distance prospect Patience Joseph added another laurel to the tally, securing Silver in the junior women’s 800m (2:20.72) after a hard-fought race against Team MVP’s Elizabeth Olumide.
Meanwhile, Lucy Nwankwo followed up her Lagos heroics with a Silver in the Junior women’s 200m, clocking 24.45s. Azeezat Muhammed-Raji ran PBs of 12.09s and 24.92s in the 100m and 200m finals where she finished 7th in both events.
Mercy Ogbonna clocked a time of 25.85s in the Junior Women’s 200m in the heats and lowered it in the semi-finals to a time of 25.64s.
True to form, Team MTN’s relay squads were formidable and added multiple GOLD medals to the club’s haul. The team swept the 4x100m relay titles in the Junior category, winning both the men’s and women’s titles with a times of 42.54s and 47.45s respectively.
Team MTN’s success continued with GOLD medals in the Junior mixed 4x100m and 4x400m events, crossing the line in 44.74s and 3:32.26s ahead of their competitors.
On the senior side, Miracle Uwem Donald capped a stellar meet with two Silver medals – first in the 400m (54.11s, PB) as teammate Jane Onyeneho narrowly missed out on a podium finish, placing 4th with a time of 54.78s (PB). The pair went on to claim Silver (24.45s, PB) and Bronze medals (24.48s) respectively in the 200m.
For the senior men, Benjamin Magaji placed 4th in the 200m finals and 6th in the 400m. Showers Ushie competed in the 100m and anchored the Senior men’s 4x100m squad to GOLD in 41.62s.
In the Youth (U-17) Girls’ 400m, Chizoba Onyemauwa clinched the Silver medal after running a time of 58.58s in the final.
On the boys’ side, Fervent Edet clocked 11.92s in the 100m semifinals and also competed in the 200m heats.
After four days of intense competition, Team MTN clinched the mixed Junior trophy with 159 points, finishing ahead of Team MVP (110 points) and Team Akwa Ibom (81 points).
Akwa Ibom dominated the Senior category with 136 points, securing first place, while Team MTN finished 2nd with 55 points and Bayelsa State 3rd with 52 points.
