Sprint Drama at MTN CHAMPS as Adegoke, Ezeakor Clock Identical Times
By Oluwaseyi Oduneye-Ogunwomoju
The MTN CHAMPS Grand Final delivered thrilling action in the 100m finals across both junior and senior categories, with several athletes recording Personal Bests (PBs) and Season’s Bests (SBs).
In the senior men’s event, Tejiri Godwin set the pace in the heats with a blistering PB of 10.29s, while Chidera Ezeakor and Enoch Adegoke clocked 10.31s and 10.34s respectively.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the final produced a dramatic finish, as Ezeakor and Adegoke both posted identical times of 10.15s to share the title. Chibueze Ezeakor followed closely in third place, recording a lifetime best of 10.35s.
Speaking after the race, Tokyo 2020 Olympic men’s 100m finalist, Enoch Adegoke, expressed satisfaction with his performance.
“I feel great winning this race. I’ve been working very hard ahead of the competition,” he said.
“Towards the finish, my focus was not just on winning but on achieving a better time that would put me in a strong position. That was my main target.
“What God cannot do does not exist. While putting in the effort, I also looked up to God.”
In the women’s 100m final, Maria Omokwe delivered an outstanding performance, powering to a PB of 11.26s to claim the title. Her time equals the fastest mark recorded on Nigerian soil in 2026, jointly held with Miracle Ezechukwu.
Omokwe had earlier improved her PB to 11.35s in the semi-finals before surpassing it in the final.
Janet Sunday placed second with a PB of 11.66s, while Omoyeni Lydia Ajayi-Bibilomo finished third with a lifetime best of 11.69s.
In the junior women’s category, Ejiro Peter claimed gold in 11.39s after setting a PB of 11.29s in the semi-finals. She was followed by Chigozie Nwankwo (11.48s) and Team MTN’s Lucy Nwankwo (11.57s).
Abdulrahman Jimoh won the junior men’s 100m with a PB of 10.57s. Liberty Okon came second with a PB of 10.62s, while Team MTN’s Alvin Onyeama finished third in 10.66s.
In the senior men’s 400m hurdles, Ndiponke Okure, Sodiq Adebisi and Olorunwa Olowu emerged as the top three finishers.
Meanwhile, in the junior category, Oseiwe Salami dominated the race, clocking a lifetime best of 51.60s to win gold, ahead of Ibrahim Muhammed and Solomon Eloghosa Okundaye, who took silver and bronze respectively. (NAN)
