NIGERIA increased its medal haul to three gold on Saturday at the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya with some sparkling individual performances.
Imabong Nse Uko won the country’s second gold medal of the competition, leading the way in the women’s 400m final in a personal best time of 51.55 seconds.
It was Nigeria’s first individual gold medal in the championships in 13 years.
Poland’s Kornelia Lesiewicz bagged silver in 51.97s, a personal best too, and Kenya’s Sylvia Chelangat also ran a personal best of 52.23s to go home with bronze.
Another gold for Nigeria soon followed as Udodi Onwuzurike raced to a 20.21s national U-20 record to win the men’s 200m final.
He beat Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (20.38s) to second place and South Africa’s Sinesipho Tebogo (20.48s) as they completed an African sweep of the medals.
Team Nigeria added another medal in the women’s 200m, this time bronze as Favour Ofili finished third in the final in a new national U-20 record of 22.23s.
Namibia’s Christine Mboma won gold in a new world U-20 record of 21.84s, with her compatriot Beatrice Masilingi claiming silver in a 22.18s personal best.
Nigeria’s Omamuyovwi Erhire narrowly missed out on a medal, coming forth in the men’s high jump with his best mark of 2.14m.
In the men’s 110m hurdles final, Nigeria’s Ekporere Oghenemine finished last in 21.60s after tripping over one of the hurdles as France’s Sasha Zhoya won gold and set a new world U-20 record of 12.72s.
Jamaica’s Vashaun Vascianna claimed silver in a 13.25s personal best and Poland’s Jakub Szymanski ran a personal best of 13.43s to win bronze.
