Sports

Avani Goel: National Champion Eyes Olympics Gold Medal, World Number One In Gymnastics

Published

3 years ago

August 11, 2022

Edo 2021 gold and silver medalist, Avani Goel became national champion last Friday winning all possible five gold medals in her age Category at the just-concluded National Club Association Super Championship in Edo.

Elated Avani reacting after her feat at the competition revealed her long term goal of becoming the best gymnast in the world, she said, “I look forward to being Olympics gold medalist and be World Number 1 in gymnastics.

She continued, “I love gymnastics and seeing my parent supporting this journey and looking at my coach effort, i cant even think of performing less.

She admitted that achieving the long term goal will not come easy, “With my long term goal, it means i still have a lot to do and because of that i will be training harder with aim of becoming the best in the world. My dad has been the biggest supporter from the beginning without him, i think all these achievements will not be possible. He is my mentor and gives me moral support.

Her club, coached by Michael, Bodylanguage Gymnastics Club won the Overall Best Trophy at the competition winning total of 6 gold and 3 silver medals to clinch the 2nd place trophy.

At the just-concluded national championship, she won all the gold medals in her category namely; floor gymnastics, vault, beam, and aerobic gymnastics and in best all around to emerge the national champion.

Avani, 11, started training gymnastics in 2017 at home initially. In 2018 she went to South Africa and bagged the best gymnast trophy under Level 3 within less than one year of her starting training.

In 2019, she competed first time in a national event in National Youth Games at the age of 9 years and won two medals.

At Edo 2020, she won Team Gold and a silver individual medal where she competed in all elite gymnasts.

In 2021 National Youth Games, she bagged three Gold medals and became the highest Gold medalist in female gymnastics out possible 5 Gold medals.

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Sports

FAME Foundation to the World: Para Athletes Need Empowerment, Not Sympathy

Published

50 mins ago

October 8, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi
The founder of FAME Foundation (Female Advocacy, Mentoring, and Empowerment), Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi, has called on the global community to support, not pity, para athletes.

Speaking at the recently concluded Play the Game 2025 Conference held in Tampere, Finland, Atoyebi emphasized that athletes with physical challenges require empowerment, policy support, and inclusion not sympathy.

Aderonke, a fearless journalist and lifelong advocate for women and girls in sports, has consistently championed the rights of marginalized groups through her foundation.

Known for her bold and passionate advocacy, she reiterated that para athletes deserve the same opportunities and resources as their able-bodied counterparts.

The international conference, held from October 5th to 8th, brought together journalists, policymakers, and global stakeholders to discuss pressing issues under the theme: “Breaking Barriers in Sports: Integration of Marginalized Groups and Persons with Disabilities.”

Delivering a powerful and interactive lecture, Atoyebi stated: “I want to conclude by saying that para athletes around the globe need our support, policy reviews, and implementation—not our pity. They don’t need sympathy; what they truly need is empowerment.”

Her impactful contribution at the event further amplified Africa’s voice in the global call for inclusion, equality, and policy-driven change in the world of sports.

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