Nigerian universities once again proved their superiority on Day 2 of the ongoing West African University Games (WAUG) taking place at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), when the duo of Enoch Adegoke and Joy Udo-Gabriel struck GOLD in the men and women’s 100m final for the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and University of Lagos (UNILAG) respectively.
After making his international debut for Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games where he got to the final, and also making an appearance at the African Championships, Adegoke would end the year with a GOLD medal on his neck as he brushed aside his opponents to emerge victorious in the men’s 100m, stopping the timer at 10.21s.
Running in his second major competition in the space of a month, Alaba Akintola, who represented the Federal University of Akure (FUTA), settled for another Silver after clocking 10.41s. Barnabas Aggreh of the University of Development Studies (UDS) Ghana took home the Bronze medal after clocking 10.51s.
There was to be no stopping of Udo-Gabriel in the women’s category as the UNILAG athlete shrugged off competition from Balikis Yakubu who also represented the Lagos based school, to claim victory in 11.63s. Yakubu finished two hundredth of a second behind Udo-Gabriel, while UNIPORT’s Grace Nwokocha placed 3rd in 11.71s.
Very little was left to separate Eric Annobi of UDS Ghana, and UNIPORT’s Okure Ndiponke, as the duo jostled it out in the men’s 400m Hurdles final. However, it was Annobi who dipped in at the finish, claiming victory in 54.45s.
The finalists for the men’ 400m were also decided as Etiamkwaku Torgbenu from the University of Ghana, Legon claimed victory in one of the heats, while his compatriot, Emmanuel Nimo also made it through after winning Heat 2.
Edidiong Okon took his dominance from the NUGA Games to the WAUG as the UNIPORT student struck GOLD in the men’s 800m, winning in 1:53.48. Matthew Nantiere from the University of Cape Coast placed 2nd in 1:53.60, while Boluwaji Agboola from the University of Ibadan (UI) placed 3rd in 2:01.86.
Having won Silver in the women’s 5,000m yesterday, University of Uyo’s (UNIUYO) Comfort James made up for the loss as she claimed victory in the 800m in 2:09.12. Salomay Agyei from (UDS), Ghana finished 2nd in 2:10.26, as Rita Kyere from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) settled for Bronze in 2:10.28.
Field Events
Less than 24 hours after winning the women’s Triple jump, UNIPORT’s Grace Anigbata came back to win the women’s High Jump with a mark of 1.60m. The African Triple Jump Champion could add a third GOLD to her tally when she competes in the Long Jump tomorrow.
Blessing Oluwayemi toed Anigbata’s path, and added more medals for Team UNIPORT, winning the men’s Triple Jump with a mark of 14.84m. He defeated Delta State University’s (DELSU) Ezekiel Egwuewu who was 2nd with 14.74m, and Asiedu Okantah who won Bronze with a mark of 14.24m.
Kingsley Dakweni from UDS threw a new Personal Best (PB) of 14.95m to win GOLD in the men’s Shot Put, while Margaret Simpson from the UCC was the woman to beat in the Javelin, throwing a mark of 47.89m to clinch the victory.
