Sports

Five Nigerian Starlets to Watch at African Junior Athletics Championships

Published

5 months ago

June 27, 2025

Joel Ajayi

With just 20 days remain before Africa’s next generation of track and field stars converge for the 3rd African U18/U20 Athletics Championships, from July 16-20 in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

For Team Nigeria, it’s more than a championship — it’s a launchpad.

A golden opportunity for rising stars to announce themselves on the continental stage and ignite careers that could shape the future of Nigerian athletics.

Among the contingent gearing up to wear the green-white-green with pride, a standout group of talents is already turning heads both locally and internationally. Meet the names to watch as they prepare to dazzle in Abeokuta:

Chioma Nwachukwu: Events: 400m, 4x400m Relay, PBs: 400m – 51.26s | Indoor – 52.07s | 4x400m Relay – 3:26.90, College: University of Iowa.

A gold medalist at the 2022 National Sports Festival and a champion at the Nigerian University Games (NUGA), Chioma has shattered school records at the University of Iowa in both the indoor and outdoor 4x400m relays.

Okon Israel: Events: 60m, 100m, 200m, 4x100m Relay, PBs: 100m – 9.91s | 60m – 6.51s | 200m – 20.80s, College: Auburn University.

Okon is rewriting history. His blistering 6.51s in the 60m tied the school record at Auburn, placing him alongside legends like Davidson Ezinwa and Favour Ashe on Nigeria’s all-time list.

A silver medalist at the SEC Indoor Championships and bronze medalist at the NCAA Indoors, he also led Nigeria to gold in the 4x100m at the 2023 African Games.

Favour Onyah: Events: 400m, 200m, 4x400m Relay, PBs: 400m – 51.93s | 200m – 24.35s | 4x400m Relay – 3:40.46, College: Southeastern Louisiana University

Named the 2024 Southland Conference Women’s Track & Field Freshman of the Year, Favour is fast becoming a dominant force in the quarter-mile.
Gafari Badmus: Events: 400m, 200m, 800m, 4x400m Relay: PBs: 400m – 45.62s | 200m – 21.64s | 800m – 1:56.48 | Mixed Relay – 3:25.59, College: Not currently enrolled.

Gafari is one of the brightest prospects in Nigeria’s youth athletics system. Already a gold medalist in the men’s 4x400m relay at the 2024 National Sports Festival, he has medaled across multiple distances and showcased versatility with a promising 800m personal best.

John Caleb: Events: 100m, 200m, 4x100m Relay, PBs: 100m – 10.39s | 200m – 21.19s | 4x100m – 40.28s, College: Not currently enrolled.

A two-time champion at MTN CHAMPS Benin and Lagos, John Caleb is the definition of consistency. He impressed at the U18 Athletics

Trials and has proven to be one of the country’s fastest teenagers.

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Sports

Tangerine APT Pension Crowned New Kings of PFA Games 2025

Published

4 hours ago

November 30, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi
Joel Ajayi Tangerine APT Pension stormed the 2025 Pension Fund Administrators Games and snatched the crown with a commanding 66 points—ending FCMB’s reign and announcing themselves as the new champions of corporate sporting excellence.

From the first whistle to the final scoreboard, Tangerine APT played like an organisation possessed. They dominated volleyball and snooker, showcased brilliant tactical depth to finish second in chess behind Norrenberger, secured second place in team bonding behind Premium Pension, and held their own across the board—fourth in football, sixth in table tennis, fifth in scrabble, and eighth in e-sports, press conference, discipline and grooming. Every point mattered, and Tangerine APT grabbed them with fire.

Defending champions FCMB, despite flashes of brilliance, simply could not summon last year’s magic.

They finished second overall with 63 points—just three points behind the new champions. FCMB were first in scrabble, second in football, third in table tennis and e-sports, fourth in snooker and team bonding, and fifth in volleyball, chess, and press conference/discipline/grooming. A brave defence, but not enough to stop the Tangerine wave.

Rounding off the podium is NPF Pension, finishing third with 57 points after a spirited campaign. They claimed gold in football, second in table tennis and e-sports, third in volleyball, fourth in scrabble, sixth in press conference/discipline/fanfare/most coordinated, seventh in chess, and eighth in snooker and team bonding.

The rest of the table saw fierce competition:4th – Norrenberger Pension: 52 points, 5th – Premium Pension: 47 points, 6th – NNPC Pension: 45 points, 7th – Access Arm: 41 points
In Others position 8th – Trustfund Pension: 29 points 9th – PENCOM: 28 points and 10th – NUPEMCO: 25 points.

With the dust settled and the cheers still echoing, one truth stands tall:Tangerine APT Pension has ushered in a new era—bold, dominant, and unforgettable.

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