Team Nigeria wins two more medals, as curtains fall on 23rd African Senior Athletics Championships in Douala

Team Nigeria, won one more gold medal on the final day of 2024 African Senior Athletics Championships in Douala, Cameroon.

The gold medal was won by the women’s 4×400m relay in a time of 3:27.31 seconds ahead of Botswana and Zambia. But it was not enough to qualify for the Olympics in Paris.

Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi, won a silver medal in the men’s Javelin with a throw of 79.22m, finishing behind Julius Yego of Kenya who threw 80.24m. Moustafa Mahmoud of Egypt was 3rd with 77.25m.

Yego becomes the second man in Championships history to win the title three times in a row, after South Africa’s Gerhardus Pienaar who won in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Yego also made history to win the Javelin throw gold five times followings wins in 2012, 2014, 2018, 2022 and now 2024.

At the end of the grueling, feisty and equally scintilating six days of competition at the Stade de Japoma, in Douala, on Wednesday, Nigeria secured five gold, six silver and four bronze medals to finish third behind South Africa and Kenya that won the last edition.

Nigeria finished third on the overall medal table at the 2022 edition held in Port Loius, Mauritius with 11 medals made up of five gold, three silver, and three bronze to rank behind Kenya and South Africa.

Team Nigeria got most of her medals from the women athletes, who won a total of four gold, three silver and two bronze.

Their male counterparts secured one gold, two silver and two bronze medals. With an additional Silver medal from the 4x400m Mix Relay.

Among the athletes, who defended their titles in Douala is Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, who won the men’s Shot Put event. He won the title at Asaba 2018 and retained it in Mauritius 2022.

Women’s discuss thrower, Obiageri Amechi upgraded her status by winning silver this time around, after she settled for bronze two years ago in Mauritius.

One of Nigeria’s most consistent athletes, Ese Brume, lived up to her hype as she retained her gold medal title in the Long Jump.

Nigeria’s Women 4x100m relay squad, led by Tobi Amusan easily secured the gold medal in Douala.

One major setback Nigeria on the track in Douala was Amusan’s inability to defend her women’s 100m hurdles due to illness.

New national Record Holder in the women’s High Jump, Temitope Adeshina, lost the gold to her Ghanaian challenger, as she had settle for silver medal.

Nigeria’s was hoping of winning two gold medals in the women’s 100m and 200m events, but those hopes were dashed after U.S. based sprinters, Favour Ofili and Rosemary Chukwuma pulled out of the Championships at the semi finals stage without the knowledge of the AFN technical officials.

This is Team Nigeria medal table at the Championships:

GOLD MEDAL

Men’s Shot Put:

★ Chukwuebuka Enekwechi

Women’s Discus:

★ Ashley Anumba

Women’s Long Jump:

★ Ese Brume

Women’s Relay:

★ 4×100m

Women’s Relay:

★ 4×400

SILVER MEDAL

Women’s Hammer:

★ Sade Olatoye

Mix Relay:

★ 4×400m

Men’s Javelin:

★ Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi

Women’s Discus:

★Obiageri Ameachi

Women’s High Jump:

★ Temitope Adeshina

Men’s Relay:

★ 4×100m

BRONZE MEDAL

Women’s Discus:

★ Chioma Onyekweri

Men’s Long Jump:

★ Goodness Iredia

Men’s 400m

★ Samuel Ogazi

Women’s 400m

★ Esther Elo Joseph

The 23rd African Senior Athletics Championships will go down in history as one of the most disorganized competition as testified by a good number of elite athIetes.

WHAT THE ATHIETES SAY ABOUT THE CHAMPIONSHIP:

NAOMI AKAKPO – Togo’s 100 metres hurdles specialist

“We (Africa) already have a rotten image… Instead of trying to rise and have good Championships with good organisation, by showing that we can have a world level, here we are only reinforcing those who criticize us. We are disorganized, late and not up to par. Clearly, even the Departmental Championships are better organized than that, it is very disappointing. It doesn’t put the African continent forward.”

MARIE JOSE TA LOU – Cote D’Ivoire sprint queen

“I’m hurt and disappointed. Coming here I had so much expectations. So much! If we want to think to change, we need to do better. We have now some high level of athletes. My team have to take Yango (taxi) to the stadium because the transportation sucks. And on top of that, we on the taxi we see another African team with a police escort. Like, why not do it for everybody?”

LETSILE TEBOGO – Botswana’s and African rising sprint star

“There is a lot of disorganization in Douala, you do warmup and you’ll stay 1 hour to be called, it’s a lot of disorganization, timing is of the essence in athletics, that is why I didn’t run.

“I’m hoping on the President of Confederation of African Athletics to look into the situation and bail us out.

“The semifinal I’m going to run, but if this sad occurrence happens again in the final I won’t run, because this is my home.”

ARTHUR CISSÉ – Ivorian athlete

“I did not hear the starting pistol in the 400m race.

“I saw everyone running before I started running. I didn’t hear anything… it’s not professional. This is the African Championship.”

EMMANUEL ESEME – Cameroon’s 13th African Games gold medalist

“I will say that it was a very difficult day because with the programming which was not very well organized, I was not qualified for the final. So, I came home, and then they called me that we have to come back. I took Yango very quickly. Arrived at Yassa, there was traffic jam and I had to take the motorbike”

FABRICE HUGUES ZANGO – Burkina Faso, African Record holder in the men’s Triple Jump

“It’s never easy. In Africa, we have a lot of things to improve on, but it’s important that the big stars are here to inspire the youth. Their presence (at the African Championships) is really important.”

The next edition of the African Seniors Athletics Championships will hold at the University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana, in 2026.