MoC Athletics Academy shines with 28-Medal Haul at MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays in Jos

The MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays in Jos delivered a thrilling showcase of athletic excellence, and MoC Athletics Academy emerged as one of the standout teams of the competition, recording its biggest medal haul to date — an impressive 28 medals comprising 12 GOLD, 10 Silver, and 6 Bronze.

Across the Senior, Junior, and Youth categories, the Academy’s athletes produced a series of remarkable performances, underlining the depth of talent and continued rise of the programme on Nigeria’s athletics scene.

Senior Category: Experience Meets Excellence

MoC’s senior athletes set the pace for the rest of the team by claiming an impressive 9 medals (3 GOLD, 4 Silver, 2 Bronze), delivering composed and high-quality performances.

Toheebat Jimoh was one of the standout performers, medalling in all three of her events. She started with a Silver medal in the 400m where she set a Season’s Best (SB) of 53.88s, while Miracle Donald claimed Bronze in 54.27s. Jimoh then upstaged the rest of the field to win the women’s 100m title with a Personal Best (PB) of 12.03s. She claimed her third medal and second title of the competition in the 200m, setting another lifetime best of 24.35s as Donald settled for Silver with a time of 24.36s.

In the men’s 400m, Ezekiel Eno Asuquo powered to GOLD with an SB of 46.26s, while Benjamin Magaji followed with a PB of 47.17s for Silver. Asuquo then added a Silver medal in the 200m in 21.78s, while Showers Ushie claimed Bronze with a PB of 21.82s.

Junior (U-20): Depth, Dominance, and World-Class Potential

The Junior team delivered across multiple events, matching the medal count of the senior team by also finishing with 9 medals (3 GOLD, 4 Silver, 2 Bronze) and several standout performances.

Lucy Nwankwo emerged as one of the stars of the meet, qualifying for the World U-20 Championships in both the 100m and 200m. She clocked a PB of 11.52s in the 100m semifinals before securing Silver in the final, and later dipped under 24 seconds in the 200m final, running a brilliant PB of 23.76s for Bronze.

Elsewhere, Chidimma Esomonu narrowly missed the podium in the 400m final, running a PB of 57.75s in 4th place as Victory Aganya followed in 5th (58.46s).

In the men’s sprints, Emmanuel Akolo spearheaded a historic MoC podium sweep in the 100m, racing to GOLD in 10.63s (+5.3). Team BPS athlete Destiny Reuben and Alvin Onyeama completed the sweep with Silver and Bronze respectively, highlighting the Academy’s sprinting depth. Other MoC Academy athletes who made the 100m final were Emmanuel Oyewale, Abdulfatah Oduwole and Kehinde Seriki, while Mighty Otunola made the semifinals.

Michael Aniche delivered one of the biggest surprises of the competition, storming to GOLD in the 200m with a PB of 21.84s, ahead of Akolo, who secured Silver. Aniche had earlier claimed GOLD in the 400m, clocking a lifetime best of 48.19s to lead a Team MTN 1-2 finish, with Prosper Ushie clocking 48.68s for Silver.

Youth (U-17): Rising Stars Announce Themselves

MoC’s Youth athletes made a bold statement, securing 6 medals (4 GOLD, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze) and showcasing the next generation of champions.

Team BPS athlete Rebecca Enilolobo led the charge in the girls’ sprints, claiming GOLD in the 100m after clocking 12.39s in the heats. She went on to secure Silver in the 200m with a PB of 24.91s.

On the boys’ side, Fervent Edet delivered a sprint double, dominating both the 100m and 200m. He posted a PB of 11.13s in the 100m heats before sealing GOLD in the final, and followed up with another PB of 22.32s en route to 200m GOLD.

Chizoba Gift Onyemauwa was equally impressive, storming to GOLD in the girls’ 400m with a PB of 58.19s. She also claimed Bronze in the 200m, capping a highly productive outing.

Relay Highlights: Teamwork Seals the Statement

MoC’s relay teams provided a fitting climax to an outstanding outing. Team MTN A’s mixed 4x100m Junior relay team of Ogbonna, Nwankwo, Oyewale, and Akolo won GOLD with a time of 44.64s, crossing the line ahead of Team B comprising Esomonu, Enilolobo, Oduwole and Reuben (46.17s). Team C’s squad of Aganya, Onyemauwa, Seriki, and Edet secured Bronze with a time of 47.12s.

In the Mixed 4x400m Senior relay, Team MTN featuring Donald, Jimoh, Asuquo, and Magaji, clinched GOLD with a time of 3:30.70s.

MoC Athletics Academy is supported by MTN as the Lead Sponsor, who are sponsoring 20 MoC Academy athletes for the next three years, while Beacon Power Services (BPS) is also an Academy sponsor with two athletes being sponsored for the next three years.