Sports

Olympics Trials: Spectators light up athletics meet in Lagos

Published

5 years ago

June 20, 2021

…as championship ends today with relays

It’s heart-warming to witness the huge spectators turn-out to watch athletics competition occasioned by 4-day Olympic athletics Trials taking place at Yaba College of Technology Sports complex in Lagos.

Just like in the Mobil Championship days, It is however a positive surprise to most athletics watchers that this crowd could be interested in watching Athletics where football is trending in Europe, Africa and Nigeria.

Day two of the competition was fantastic as crowd took over all the stands having watched Blessing Okagbare who nearly smashed the African record with her wind aided 10:63secs on Thursday evening.

The new board members of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria were really not sure what the spectators were watching until the jumps started.

The way the crowd roared after each successful jump by jumpers.at Yaba College of technology was a delight.

“For some time now we have not had such an appreciative crowd. It’s good for athletics and would enhance athletes confidence,” said a board member, Victor Okorie.

He attributed the presence of the crowd to the appearance of Athletes like Blessing Okagbare, Tobi Amusan, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, Grace Nkwocha etc.

Meanwhile, as expected, the third day of the championships was dominated by the throwers with two National Record Holders, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi and Annette Echikunwoke entertaining the crowd in men’s Shot Put and women’s Hammer throw respectively.

Enekwechi, already through to the Olympics, won the shot put with a throw of 21.47m with Dotun Ogundeji taking the silver with a throw of 19.68m.

The third position goes to Eke Kalu of the Nigeria Custom, throwing the distance of 17.16m.

It was a wide gap between the two US-based hammer thrower and the other athletes competing in the event as they came up with the gold and silver medal.

Echikunwoke, the current World No.6 in the event, emerged winner after throwing a distance of 72.07m as Oyesade Olatoye finished second with a distance of 67.42m.

Third position went to Eucharia Ogbukwu in a distance of 37.80m

The final day of the trials will see athletes competing in the Masters Relay, Long Jump (women), 4x400m (women and men), 4x100m (women and men), 4x400m mixed relay and the men’s javelin final.

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

9 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.

Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.

In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.

The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.

In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.

At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.

According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.

“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.

Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.

He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.

The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.

He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.

“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.

Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.

The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.

According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.

The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.

It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.

The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.

He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.

“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.

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