The MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays wrapped up on Saturday with some of the most exciting finishes, as John Caleb, Bernice Onoriode, and Abdulaleem Abdulsalam stole the spotlight with multiple gold medals in a thrilling final day of competition at Yabatech and Unilag Sports Complexes.
In the men’s 4x100m relay, Team Continental’s quartet of Thankgod Igube, Emmanuel Ojeli, Chidera Ezeakor, and Favour Ashe claimed victory with a time of 40.81 seconds, edging out Lagos (41.13s) and Benin Republic (41.96s). The women’s 4x100m relay saw Team Continental dominate as well, with Iyanu Bada, Janet Adesiyan, Temitope Olusesan, and Lucy Nwankwo finishing first in 46.49s, ahead of Team Tasued and OAU Spartans.
Caleb, who had already won the 100m earlier in the competition, added the Junior men’s 200m gold to his tally, clocking 21.45s. Ezekiel Asuquo of Team MTN took silver with 21.62s, while Eniola Shiro finished third with 21.64s.
Onoriode also made a statement in the Youth Girls’ category by completing a sprint double, winning the 200m gold after her earlier 100m triumph. Rebecca Enilolobo took the silver, while Goodnews Saturday claimed bronze.
Abdulsalam continued his dominance in the Cadet Boys’ division, winning both the 100m and 200m titles. His 200m victory, timed at 24.73s, was a personal best, as he edged out Samuel Adegbuyi and Selim Bilaminu, who completed the podium.
In the senior men’s 200m, Emmanuel Ojeli triumphed with a time of 21.14s, finishing ahead of Oriyomi Akala (21.80s) and Gafar Audu (21.81s). Patience Okon-George claimed her second gold medal in the women’s 200m with 24.11s, following her earlier win in the 400m. Team MTN’s Miracle Uwem Donald secured silver with 24.63s, while Mary Adediran took bronze with 24.65s.
Hafsoh Bisola set a new personal best of 24.61s to win the Junior women’s 200m, narrowly edging Team MTN’s Lucy Nwankwo, who also recorded a personal best of 24.64s. Mariam Jegede of OAU Spartans finished third in 25.26s.
In the Youth Boys’ 200m, Mighty Otunla upgraded from his 100m bronze to win gold with a powerful finish, while Muhammad Jimoh and Emmanuel Akolo took silver and bronze, respectively.
Abigael Ogunbowale dominated the Cadet Girls’ 200m, finishing first in 27.32s, with Stephanie Obiekwe and Tomilola Ogbamola taking silver and bronze.
The men’s 800m saw Hamid Sambo narrowly beat Olaitan Ayomide to win in 1:51.70, with Adedokun Ayobami finishing third in 1:54.51. In the women’s 800m, Adeyinka Bamtefa-Mulero clocked a season’s best of 2:08.90 to claim gold, ahead of Fatimah Adebayo (2:11.27) and Temitope Olusesan (2:18.24).
Ibrahim Ahmed claimed victory in the Youth Boys’ 400m, finishing ahead of Hassan Olawepo and Ajayi Olubusuyi, while Team MTN’s Chizoba Onyemauwa ran a personal best of 58.40s to win the Youth Girls’ 400m, followed by Victory Aganya (58.80s) and Mfon Udoh.
The competition concluded with a dramatic finish in the men’s 400m hurdles, where Olorunwa Olowu surged past early leader Sodiq Adebisi to take the gold, with Gbenga Bakre finishing third. In the women’s race, Daisy Akpofa, Sarah Kadiri, and Oluwadamilola Esther Alli claimed the top three spots.
