MTN Champs: Community Sch. Mbiaso, Ado Girls, Presbyterian Ididep win school titles

Community School Mbiaso won big on the final day of MTN Champs Calabar, held at the U.J. Esuene Stadium from March 5 to 7, claiming two team trophies in the Cadet Boys and Cadet Girls categories.

Capitalising on their strength in the sprints and buoyed by the performance of Esther James, who completed the 200m and 400m double in 28.43s and 63.90s respectively, they scored 37 points to secure the Cadet Girls’ Team Trophy.

Ado Girls Onitsha finished a close second with 33 points, while FAAN Secondary School placed third. While Community School Mbiaso’s campaign was powered by James’ individual brilliance, Ado Girls’ strength lay in consistently reaching the finals of their events.

The Cadet Boys’ race for the team trophy was a dominant display from Community School Mbiaso, who controlled the competition from start to finish, amassing 72 points compared to St. Michael Model Comprehensive’s 16 points in second place.

Wisdom Archibong stood out with a 200m, 400m, and Long Jump triple, mirroring James’ impact in the Girls’ category. The team also fielded five athletes in the Boys’ 400m final, all of whom advanced to the final, effectively sealing the category.

St. Michael Model Comprehensive earned two Silver medals, while Auntie Margret Memorial claimed third place after tying on points with Presbyterian School Ididep and Utagbe Ogbe Grammar – a tie broken by Asieta Otu Otu’s GOLD-winning 100m performance.

While the Cadet Girls’ race for the Team Trophy was close, the Youth Girls presented an even tighter contest, with Eagle International and Ado Girls Onitsha both tied at 52 points. This time, Ado Girls Onitsha claimed the trophy, thanks to Blessing Ukoha, who won two GOLD medals in the Shot Put and Discus Throw. Eagle International managed just one GOLD, courtesy of Miracle Okon’s 100m victory.

Presbyterian School Ididep finished third with 47 points but dominated the Youth Boys’ category, amassing 83 points over Government Model’s 24 and Grace & Gold’s 20. Their strength came from the field events, particularly the Boys’ Shot Put, where they secured a 1-2-3 finish led by Emmanuel Mark, who also reached the 400m final.

The Junior (U20) category produced a dramatic finish between Team MTN and Cross River, locked in a close contest until the very end. Team MTN narrowly prevailed with 102 points, just ahead of Cross River’s 98.

They placed at least two athletes in all sprint finals, with Michael Aniche standing out, winning GOLD in the 400m and silver in the 200m, while Lucy Nwankwo also claimed double medals.

The team sealed the victory with a win in the men’s 4x100m relay, while Cross River shone in the throws, medalling across all events. Akwa Ibom finished third with 79 points.

In the Senior category, Cross River flipped the script on Team MTN, finishing first with 98 points. They won three GOLDs on the track and three more GOLDs in field events, beating Team MTN, who took second with 72 points, while Obiano finished third with 48 points.

For the first time at MTN Champs, MTN awarded monetary prizes to the Top 4 schools:

1st place – Community School Mbiaso: Cadet Girls & Cadet Boys’ titles (109 total points) – ₦2,000,000

2nd place – Presbyterian School Ididep: Youth Boys’ title (83 points) – ₦1,500,000

3rd place – Ado Girls Onitsha: Youth Girls’ title (52 points) – ₦1,000,000

4th place – Eagle International: Youth Girls’ runners-up (52 points) – ₦500,000