Team Nigeria delivered a dazzling opening at the African Track Championships on Wednesday, finishing the first day at Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja with five gold medals to take an early lead of the medal standings, as 12 events were completed on Day 1.
Key takeaways
- Nigeria topped the medal table after Day 1, collecting five golds from 12 events in Abuja.
- Women secured four of Nigeria’s five titles across the Junior Team Sprint, Junior Scratch, Elite Scratch and Junior Team Pursuit.
- Osaretin Godwin was the only individual gold winner on the day, taking women’s Junior Scratch.
- South Africa are second overall after winning four gold medals on Wednesday.
- Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire and Zimbabwe are still without a medal as the championships move into Thursday’s Day 2.
Nigeria’s women lead the gold rush
Four of Nigeria’s five gold medals were won by the women’s team. They claimed top honours in the Junior Team Sprint, Junior Scratch, Elite Scratch and Junior Team Pursuit, establishing the foundation for Nigeria’s early position at the summit of the table.
The highlight among individual performances came from Osaretin Godwin, who stood out as the day’s only solo champion. She narrowly outpaced fellow Nigerian Divine Ogbe to take women’s Junior Scratch, winning by edging into silver as Ogbe settled for second.
In the team events, Treasure Coxson, Mary Samuel, Patience Otuodong and Grace Ayuba combined to win gold in the Elite Team Pursuit. Godwin and her teammates then also delivered in the Junior Team Pursuit, leading a lineup of Divine Ogbe, Ringnan Danjuma and Falilat Abdulrasaq to victory.
Treble for Godwin and Nigeria close with men’s success
Godwin capped a standout day with a treble. She guided Divine Ogbe and Esther Osayamen to win the women’s Junior Team Sprint, defeating South Africa’s Hannie Vreken, Jemma Barnard and Helen Olwage.
Nigeria’s final gold of the day came in the men’s category. In the Elite Team Sprint, Gabriel Emmanuel, Isa Momoh and Jude Obinna beat the Algerian team, rounding off what proved to be a dominant opening day for Nigeria.
Medal table picture heading into Day 2
South Africa are positioned second following Wednesday’s action, finishing the day with four gold medals, two silver and one bronze. Algeria sit third with three gold medals and five silver.
Benin Republic and Egypt remain level on gold, with Benin Republic collecting two silver compared to Egypt’s three bronze, placing Benin fourth and Egypt fifth.
With the championships set to continue into Thursday’s Day 2, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire and Zimbabwe have yet to register a medal as the competition moves on from the first-day totals.
