The inaugural class of 20 athletes from Seasons 1 and 2 of MTN CHAMPS selected to join the MoC Athletics Academy in Lagos, sponsored by MTN, have been unveiled. The athletes comprising of 5 Female Sprinters, 3 Female Quartermilers, 7 Male Sprinters and 5 Male Quartermilers were announced at a special unveiling ceremony and Press Conference held at the MTN Headquarters in Ikoyi, Lagos, on August 21st, 2024.
The athletes (Team MTN) are expected to be in the Academy for an initial period of one year, after which their stay in the Academy will be reviewed based on their performance during the initial one year.
During the unveiling, MTN’s General Manager, Brand and Communication, Emamoke Ogoro, disclosed the reasons behind creating the MTN CHAMPS platform.
She said: “The reason we started MTN CHAMPS was for the Nigerian and African pride. At the last Olympics, the buzz was around the American and Jamaican athletes; we want that to change. We want Nigeria to dominate the world as well. When Bambo came last year with the plan, I was excited because I remember when I used to follow the Mobil Athletics National Trials in the ’90s. We want to be a part of these athletes’ stories so that when they make it to the Olympics, we can say they were products of MTN CHAMPS. To the athletes, don’t relent on your training and you will be future Nigerian Olympic Champions.”
In his address, MTN CEO Karl Toriola expressed his excitement at the unveiling of the 20 athletes into the MoC Academy.
He said, “It’s a tremendous honour to welcome all of you here today to celebrate the excellence and our investment in the future of Nigeria. It gives us a great sense of pride because it marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of MTN CHAMPS, a chapter that promises to be thrilling and inspiring and hopefully we will end up with some GOLD medals by the next Olympics.
“When we launched MTN CHAMPS, we did so with a vision to discover and develop raw talents to give young athletes across Nigeria a platform to showcase their abilities to inspire a generation of athletes. More importantly, we wanted to contribute towards the development of future Olympians.
“Today, as we induct the MVPs into the MoC Athletics Academy powered by MTN, we are filled with a sense of pride. The Academy is more than a training ground; it’s a platform where talent is recognized and honed, where dreams are nurtured and passion translates into performance and shaping the future of Nigeria’s Athletics. We are here to honour 20 MVPs, athletes who have embodied the spirit of determination, sportsmanship and excellence that MTN CHAMPS stands for.”
Making of Champions (MoC) Founder, Bambo Akani, lauded the efforts of MTN in providing the much-needed platform to identify athletes that would be world beaters in the nearest future, as well as the competition’s partners, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF).
He said: “The unveiling of these 20 athletes is the culmination of the most extensive nationwide talent search that Nigeria has ever seen, with 15,000 athletes from 900 schools and teams screened nationwide and we’ve chosen the 20 best athletes across the nation to begin training for the 2028 Olympics.
“We would like to say a big thank you to MTN for the incredible platform that MTN CHAMPS has created for athletes across Nigeria and this is indeed a contribution of national importance that is contributing greatly to our goal of Nigerian athletes winning up to 10 medals at the LA 2028 Olympics.”
The 20 athletes whom have already resumed at the Academy are:
Female Sprinters: Azeezat Muhammed-Raji, Lucy Nwankwo, Mercy Ogbonna, Toheebat Jimoh and Jane Onyeneho
Female Quartermilers: Chizoba Onyemauwa, Miracle Uwem and Patience Joseph
Male Sprinters: Fervent Edet, Alvin Onyeama, David Nda-Isaiah, Kehinde Ojo, Khalil Saleh, Emmanuel Oyewale and Showers Ushie
Male Quartermilers: Benjamin Magaji, Ezekiel Eno, Emmanuel Obi, Prosper Ushie and Stephen Adejumo
FEMALE SPRINTERS
(1) AZEEZAT MUHAMMED-RAJI, Finished SS3, OYO, 200M – 5TH (200M SILVER & 100M 4TH in IBADAN)
Prior to competing at MTN CHAMPS Ibadan, Azeezat had won the title of the fastest school girl in Oyo state. Coming to compete at MTN CHAMPS Ibadan (Season 1) and representing Olivet Baptist, Abdul-Lateef participated in the Youth Girls’ 100m and 200m events, winning her 100m heat and semifinal race, and eventually settling for 4th in the final. She enjoyed a better performance in the 200m where she claimed a Silver medal. She ran a PB of 25.89s in 200m at the Grand Final in Abuja, eventually settling for 5th in the final.
(2) LUCY NWANKWO, JSS3 (from ANAMBRA); 200M SILVER & 100M 4TH PLACE IN CALABAR: 200M GOLD & 100M SILVER IN ASABA
Lucy Nwankwo’s first appearance at MTN CHAMPS was at the MTN CHAMPS/AFN National Trials in Asaba where she scooped the 200m Youth Girls title, running a time of 25.57s and settling for Silver in the 100m. Nwankwo also clinched a Bronze medal in the Long jump, making it her 3rd medal at MTN CHAMPS Asaba. Her performances across the three events qualified her for the Grand Final in Calabar where she improved on her PB in the 200m (25.49s) to win a Silver medal and earned a GOLDEN TICKET to join Team MTN at the Making of Champions Athletics Academy.
(3) MERCY OGBONNA, SS1, PLATEAU (from ABIA); 100M – 6TH, 200M – 7TH in CALABAR (100M & 200M SILVER in JOS)
Mercy Ogbonna was one of the standout Athletes in the Youth Girls 100m category at MTN CHAMPS Jos. The young athlete who represented G.S.S Township ran under 13 seconds for the first time, winning her heat in a PB of 12.73s. She later improved on her time to win Silver in 12.67s. She delivered another big performance in the 200m final, racing to a new lifetime best of 25.71s to secure her second Silver medal. These outstanding performances earned her a well-deserved Silver ticket to the Season 2 Grand Finale in Calabar.
She competed in both the 100m and 200m events at Calabar, finishing 6th and 7th respectively in both races.
(4) TOHEEBAT JIMOH, Finished SS3, OGUN; 200M – 6TH in CALABAR (100M GOLD in IBADAN Season 2)
Toheebat Jimoh’s goal at MTN CHAMPS Ibadan (Season 2) was to improve her time and win the 100m race in her category. She progressed from the 100m preliminaries with a time of 12.65, to the heats where she improved to 12.43, and finally to the final, where she clocked 12.40s and secured a GOLD medal to bring back home in Ogun State. Jimoh’s determination and improvement earned her the distinction of being the only student from Luba Comprehensive High School to be sponsored to the Grand Finale in Calabar. In the Grand Final, she participated in four events: the 100m, 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay, making the final in all four.
(5) JANE ONYENEHO, Finished SS3 in ABIA (from IMO); 200M BRONZE (200M SILVER, 100M BRONZE in BENIN)
Jane Chioma Onyeneho from Global Power Academy competed in the Junior Girls’ 100m and 200m events at MTN CHAMPS Benin, and emerged as a 100m Bronze medallist, and 200m Silver medallist. Onyeneho’s top performances gained her a place in the Grand Final in Abuja as a Golden Performer where she finished 4th in the 200m race and this earned her a spot at the MOC Academy as one of the two wildcards up for grabs.
FEMALE QUARTERMILERS
(6) CHIZOBA ONYEMAUWA, JS3, ABIA; 400M GOLD, 200M SILVER (200M GOLD, 400M SILVER in UYO)
Chizoba Onyemauwa represented Wagon Faith Comprehensive College at the second leg of MTN CHAMPS Season 1 staged in Uyo, where she claimed a Silver medal in the 400m and maintained an unbeaten run in the 200m, eventually securing GOLD in the event. Onyemauwa’s exploits saw her amassing the second overall highest points for the Cadet Girls, which sealed her spot in the Grand Final in Abuja where she clocked a Personal Best (PB) of 26.62s to claim a Silver medal in the 200m and struck GOLD in the 400m final, establishing an early lead and holding her form to the finish to win GOLD in 59.78s, yet another Personal Best for Onyemauwa.
(7) MIRACLE UWEM, SS2, AKWA IBOM; 400M SILVER (400M SILVER in UYO)
Uwem of Goretti Girls came into MTN Champs Uyo looking to make an impression. She ran two PBs enroute winning Silver in the Youth Girls’ 400m final. She clocked 58.95s in the heats, and 58.61s in the final, making it a steady progression. She finished with a Silver in Abuja with a PB of 57.68s in the 400m. She also competed in seniors at the Asaba Regionals and ran a PB of 55.93. Her show of strength and passion earned her a spot at the MoC Academy.
(8) PATIENCE JOSEPH, SS2 in IMO (from BENUE); 800M GOLD, 400M BRONZE (800M GOLD, 400M BRONZE in UYO also)
Patience Joseph of Chosen International School made a seven-hour trip alongside her schoolmates from Mgbidi, Imo State, to compete at MTN CHAMPS Uyo and gave it everything to ensure that her school would be represented in the Grand Final in Abuja. She ran a 400m Personal Best of 58.24s, and would go on to finish on the podium in the final, running 59.43s to win Bronze in the Youth category. She then ran a commanding race in the two-lap event, clinching the GOLD medal in 2:21.59. Interestingly, Joseph holds the record as the youngest athlete to compete in a marathon event in Imo State, a feat she achieved as a 10-year-old.
MALE SPRINTERS
(9) FERVENT EDET, JS3, AKWA IBOM; 200M SILVER, 100M BRONZE (200M GOLD in UYO)
Fervent Edet competed in Season 1 of MTN CHAMPS, running the fastest time across the heats, semis and final in the Cadet Boys’ 200m to win the title at MTN CHAMPS Uyo. Imoh’s performance caught the eye, earning him a much-coveted wild card ticket to the Grand final in Abuja where he secured a Bronze medal in the 100m and Silver in the 200m.
(10) ALVIN ONYEAMA, Finished SS3 in AKWA IBOM (from ABIA); 11.09s in 100m (100M & 200M GOLD in UYO)
At MTN CHAMPS Uyo (Season 1), Alvin Onyeama left no one in doubt of his massive talent. He secured double GOLD in the Youth Boys’ 100m and 200m after racing to Personal Bests (PBs) of 11.36s and 22.98s respectively. This earned him the MVP title and a Silver ticket to the Grand Final in Abuja. Competing at the Grand Final in Abuja, Onyeama delivered a big performance in the 100m semis as he shaved off more than two-tenths from his 100m PB, crossing the line in a new PB of 11.09s, which was the fastest time overall in that category.
(11) DAVID NDA-ISAIAH, SS2, FCT (from NIGER); 100M BRONZE, 200M – 5TH in ABUJA
David Nda-Isaiah represented International Community School at the MTN CHAMPS Season 1 Grand Finale staged in Abuja, where he competed in the 100m and 200m events of the Youth Boys category. He delivered quite the performance in the 100m, running the fastest time across the heats and clocking a new PB of 11.31s in the Semis. He went on to claim a Bronze medal in the final and placed 5th in the 200m with a new Personal Best of 23.64s.
Based on his performance, he was invited to join Team MVP for the MTN CHAMPS Season 2 Grand Final in Calabar where he improved his 200m PB to 23.20s.
(12) KEHINDE OJO, SS3, OYO; 200M BRONZE in ABUJA, 100M & 200M SILVER in CALABAR (200M GOLD & 100M SILVER in IBADAN Season 2)
Kehinde Ifeoluwa Ojo competed at MTN CHAMPS Ibadan, Season 1 and scooped two titles for Best Legacy International School, in the Youth Boys 100m and 200m events, recording new PBs of 11.41s and 22.57s respectively. His performance earned him a spot in the Grand Finale in Abuja where he took a Bronze in the 200m. He returned to compete at the second leg of MTN CHAMPS Season 2 in Ibadan, improving on his time and posting a new Personal Best of 11.29s over 100m and winning a Silver medal in the event. He came back stronger in the 200m, storming to GOLD.
His impressive display saw him through to the Season 2 Grand Final in Calabar where he clinched double Silver medals in both the 100m and 200m.
(13) KHALIL SALEH, SS3, FCT (from KANO); 100M SILVER, 200M – 7TH in ABUJA
Khalil Saleh learnt about the MTN CHAMPS event via a Billboard advert, and saw it as an opportunity for him to showcase his skills to the world. Driven by his passion for Athletics, he urged his school to register for the competition, which eventually proved to be a turning point for him.
Coming in to compete at the Grand Final of MTN CHAMPS Season 1 in Abuja, Saleh displayed remarkable consistency, shaving off precious seconds across the heats (11.61s), semis (11.47s), and the final, where he raced to a PB of 11.45s to secure a well-deserved silver medal.
(14) EMMANUEL OYEWALE, SS3, OYO (from OSUN); 100M GOLD, 200M – 4TH in ABUJA (100M SILVER in IBADAN Season 1)
Emmanuel Oyewale from Cornerstone Group of Schools, Oyo state, was one of the outstanding athletes at MTN CHAMPS Ibadan (Season 1). He put up an impressive display of talent in the heats and semifinals of the Youth Boys 100m event, running the overall fastest time across both. He gave it his best shot in the final, clinching a Silver medal in 11.51s, securing a Silver ticket to the Grand Final in Abuja, winning the 100m title in a PB of 11.43s and settling for a 4th place finish in the 200m.
(15) SHOWERS USHIE, Finished SS3 in DELTA; 200m – 5TH (100M GOLD, 200M SILVER in BENIN)
Showers Ushie aspires to be like his older brother Gracious Ushie who is one of Nigeria’s upcoming athletes, and has already begun to don the country’s colours. Representing Global Power Academy, Ushie was the one to beat in the Junior Boys’ 100m at MTN CHAMPS Benin, crossing the line ahead of his counterparts to claim his first medal. Not done with winning medals, he switched his focus to the 200m where he claimed Silver to end the competition as one of the Golden Performers, thus securing a ticket to the Abuja Grand Final. He also competed in the Asaba regionals and won a GOLD medal in the 200m Junior race.
MALE QUARTERMILERS
(16) BENJAMIN MAGAJI, Finished SS3 in Jos; 400m GOLD, 400m SILVER & 200m BRONZE in CALABAR
Benjamin Magaji is a rising star in the quarter-mile, renowned not only for his impressive lap times but also for the way he captivates both competitors and spectators with his remarkable performance. Magaji clinched the Youth Boys 400m title with a new PB of 51.77s in Jos, a time that promises significant improvement in the coming years. Representing Jos at the Grand Final in Calabar, he competed in both the 200m and 400m, finishing with a Silver and Bronze medal respectively, earning him a spot at the Making of Champions Athletics Academy.
(17) EZEKIEL ENO, Finished SS3, AKWA IBOM; 400M SILVER (400M GOLD in UYO)
Ezekiel Eno who hails from Akwa Ibom, is carving a niche for himself in the 400m. Eno was a class apart from the rest of the field, running in the Youth Boys’ 400m at MTN CHAMPS Uyo. The quartermiler won all his races over the event and was named MVP in the Youth Boys’ category, securing his place in the Grand Final where he won a Silver in the 400m race which has earned him a golden ticket as one of the athletes to be trained at the Moc Athletics Academy.
(18) EMMANUEL OBI, Finished SS3, AKWA IBOM (from IMO); 400M BRONZE, 800M SILVER in CALABAR
Emmanuel Obi travelled from Akwa Ibom to Calabar to represent his school in the MTN CHAMPS Grand Finale. Determined to not return empty-handed, he excelled in his events. In MTN CHAMPS Season 1 in Uyo, he recorded a 54.10s in the 400m. At the finals in Calabar, he improved his time to 51.70, earning a Bronze medal in the race. Obi also competed in the 800m race, finishing with a time of 2:09.11 and securing a Silver medal for Akwa Ibom. His impressive performance earned him a spot at the Making of Champions Athletics Academy.
(19) PROSPER USHIE, Finished SS3 in DELTA; 400M BRONZE in BENIN
Prosper Ushie was the Bronze medallist in the Junior Boys 400m at MTN CHAMPS Benin. With two older brothers who are already into Athletics, including his oldest brother, Gracious, who was a member of MoC Track Club, Ushie believes he can achieve a lot in Athletics if he’s able to focus more. He participated in the 400m event in the Grand Final in Abuja and finished with a Bronze medal. He also participated in the Asaba Regionals in Season 2.
(20) STEPHEN ADEJUMO, Finished SS3, OYO; 400M – 7TH in CALABAR (400M GOLD in IBADAN Season 2)
The second time was the charm for Adejumo. Despite winning a GOLD medal in the 400m during the first season of MTN CHAMPS (Ibadan), it wasn’t enough to secure him a spot on Team MVP in 2023. Undeterred, Adejumo returned for Season 2, representing Olivet Baptist High School. This time, not only did he win another GOLD medal, but he also significantly improved his time to an impressive 51.10s. Stephen’s remarkable progress and determination earned him a place on ‘Team MTN’ at the Making of Champions Athletics Academy.
