Two-time Olympian Emmanuel Ojeli stole the spotlight on day one of the MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays in Lagos, smashing his three-year-old Personal Best (PB) to win his 100m semifinal heat.
The opening day saw thrilling action at both the Yabatech and Unilag Sports Complexes, with athletes from across the nation competing for medals and points for their schools and teams. The 100m and 400m events were particularly exciting, with numerous Personal Bests (PBs) achieved across all divisions.
In the Men’s 100m semifinal, Ojeli dashed to a time of 10.24s, ahead of Emmanuel Babalola (10.55s) and Ganiu Hassan (10.63s). Fresh from his success at the Niger Delta Sports Festival, Favour Ashe clocked a wind-assisted 10.14s to win his heat, followed by ThankGod Igube (10.23s) and Chidera Ezeakor (10.43s), who dominated his semifinal race.
Iyanu Bada was unstoppable in the Women’s 100m semifinals, improving her PB from 11.48s in the prelims to 11.38s. Janet Adesiyan ran 11.88s, while Favour Odiyeye posted 11.97s in the same heat.
In the Junior Men’s 100m, John Caleb bettered his PB to 10.38s in the semis, leading his category. Qudus Akintoye (10.59s) and Abdulrahman Jimoh (10.61s) rounded out the top three fastest times. Team MTN’s Lucy Nwankwo dominated the Junior Women’s 100m semis with a PB of 12.07s, followed by Azeezat Muhammed-Raji (12.20s) and Ojone Akubo-Adegbe (12.47s).
Samson Nathaniel was the fastest qualifier in the Men’s 400m heats, achieving a Season’s Best (SB) of 46.20s.
Benjamin Magaji finished second overall with a time of 48.28s. In the Women’s 400m, two-time Olympian Patience Okon George posted a season opener of 53.19s, while Miracle Donald-Uwem recorded a new lifetime best of 54.59s to win her heat and claim the second fastest time overall.
The MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays in Lagos have set the stage for an exciting competition, with athletes pushing their limits and achieving remarkable performances.