Team Nigeria touched down in Mauritius today (Thursday) for the second edition of the African Youth Athletics Championship scheduled for between Thursday April 23 and Sunday April 26.
The athletes who departed Nigeria Wednesday night aboard Emirates Air for Mauritius were optimistic of winning medals even if it will now be a herculean task for the team to
defend the title they won two years ago in Warri, Nigeria. The athletes were reduced to 12 from the initial 25 invited for the competition due to lack of funds.
Defending champion Nigeria was on the verge of missing out of the competition after the National Sports Commission failed to release funds for the Athletic Federation of Nigeria to prosecute the competition. It took the intervention of the president of the federation, Solomon Ogba, for the athletes to travel for the competition late on Wednesday night with event starting today (Thursday). Some of the athletes will have little time to rest before their first event of the day.
According to the flight schedule, the athletes landed in Mauritius at 4.50am local time with the 100m events starting by 11am local time. Five girls and seven boys made the trip with three coaches. Bisi Afolabi led the team to Mauritius.
Aniekeme Alphonsus, Abolaji Omotayo, Idamadudu Praise, Adiakerenwa Blessing and Olude Fadekemi made the trip in the girls’ category, while Ijesa Uruemu, Nwokocha Tobechukwu, Itsekiri Usheoritse, Adewale Sikiru, Ojeikere Omon, Ayebide Kingsley and Prior Ochonogor made it for the boys.
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