March 20, (THEWILL)- Nigeria’s track and field athletes were off to a blistering start at the 2024 African Games in Ghana, claiming an impressive three gold medals on just the second day of athletics action.
In the men’s shot put, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi defended his African Games title with a stellar winning throw, earning Nigeria’s first athletics gold of the multi-sport event. The 25-year-old Enekwechi’s back-to-back African Games championships cement his status as the continent’s premier shot putter.
Nigeria’s gold medal haul grew when Ruth Usoro captured the women’s triple jump crown with a massive 13.80m leap on her final attempt, claiming her maiden African title in dramatic fashion.
Capping an outstanding day for the Nigerian contingent, the mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Samson Nathaniel, Patience Okon-George, Johnson Nnamani and Omolara Ogunmakinju stormed to gold in an African record time of 3:13.26. Ogunmakinju’s blistering anchor leg helped overhaul Botswana in the closing stages as Nigeria underlined their dominance in relay events.
With three gold medals already secured, the Nigerian athletics team is well-positioned to build on this early success over the remaining days in Accra. The nation’s track and field stars have sent an early statement of intent in their quest for overall medal table supremacy.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
