Team MTN has made a bold statement at the ongoing MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays in Lagos, with the first two days of competition seeing the youngsters achieve new lifetime bests and shine at the event.
The athletes, discovered during Seasons 1 and 2 of MTN CHAMPS and currently training at the MoC Athletics Academy in Lagos, began their season last month at MTN CHAMPS Benin, where they secured eight medals.
The team has elevated their performances in Lagos, with several athletes achieving new Personal Bests on Days 1 and 2 of the competition, reinforcing their potential as future stars.
On Day 1, Alvin Onyeama, who previously set personal bests of 10.97s and 10.91s in Benin, was ecstatic after clocking 10.80s in the heats and further shattering his PB to 10.62s in the Junior Boys’ 100m semifinals.
Teammate Emmanuel Oyewale also impressed, running a PB of 11.12s to place 2nd in his 100m heat.
Lucy Nwankwo led the charge in the Junior Women’s 100m, setting a new lifetime best of 12.07s in the semis before spearheading a 1-2-3 finish for Team MTN in the final. She dipped under 12.00s for the first time, clocking 11.99s, followed by Mercy Ogbonna (12.16s), who improved from her semifinal PB of 12.37s, and Azeezat Muhammed-Raji, who secured Bronze in 12.18s—0.02s faster than her semifinal time.
Despite being a junior, Ezekiel Asuquo clocked the fastest time across both junior and senior 200m preliminaries, running a PB of 21.57s and surpassing his previous best of 22.42s from two years ago.
In the Senior category, Benjamin Magaji won his 400m heat and matched his PB of 48.04s in the final, claiming Silver behind Samson Nathaniel (46.71s).
A similar storyline unfolded in the women’s 400m, where Miracle Uwem Donald was thrilled to see 54.59s on the clock as she dominated her heat. She went on to take Silver in the final, finishing behind veteran Patience Okon George (52.67s) with a time of 55.10s.
Meanwhile, Showers Ushie entered the sub-11 club, winning his heat in 10.79s before posting 10.89s in the semifinals.
