Nigeria's older athletes just brought home a monster haul from an African championship. The Nigerian Athletics Masters team, led by Secretary-General Dr. Safiya Yahaya-Kongoila, secured twenty-five medals at the Open Africa Masters Athletics Championship in Tunis, Tunisia, with a small nine-member squad grabbing eighteen golds, five silvers, and two bronzes. Top performers included Christian Aiyegbeni with four gold medals and Yahaya-Kongoila herself, who won two golds among her five total medals.
Yahaya-Kongoila credited the success to hard work and internal support from association president Dr. Richard Ogunleye, but highlighted major financial hurdles. She argued the team could have achieved even more with better backing, noting some members could not attend due to cost, and appealed for more support from the National Sports Commission and corporate sponsors. At a medal presentation, NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko praised the group's outstanding performance.
Looking ahead, the association is seeking help to organize its National Championship in May, which will serve as a qualifier for the World Masters Athletics Championship in Daegu, Korea, next year. Both Ogunleye and PRO Peter Olajide Femi thanked the federal government for its ongoing support of sports, framing the Tunis medal rush as a promising sign for future international meets if funding improves.
Yahaya-Kongoila credited the success to hard work and internal support from association president Dr. Richard Ogunleye, but highlighted major financial hurdles. She argued the team could have achieved even more with better backing, noting some members could not attend due to cost, and appealed for more support from the National Sports Commission and corporate sponsors. At a medal presentation, NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko praised the group's outstanding performance.
Looking ahead, the association is seeking help to organize its National Championship in May, which will serve as a qualifier for the World Masters Athletics Championship in Daegu, Korea, next year. Both Ogunleye and PRO Peter Olajide Femi thanked the federal government for its ongoing support of sports, framing the Tunis medal rush as a promising sign for future international meets if funding improves.
