South Africa (27 Gold, 14 Silver, and 5 Bronze), Nigeria (12 Gold, 15 Silver, and 15 Bronze), and Kenya (10 Gold, 10 Silver, and 8 Bronze) respectively occupied the three podium places at the 3rd edition of the African U18 and U20 Championships, held in Abeokuta, Nigeria, from July 16 to 20 at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex.
The competition provided an ideal platform for young African talent to shine. Over five days of intense competition, several young athletes made their mark, demonstrating that the future of athletics on the continent is assured.
Nigerian Olympic finalist Prestina Ochonogor broke a 10-year-old championship record by winning gold in the long jump, while Botswana's Justice Oratile claimed a hat-trick in Abeokuta. Ochonogor, the 19-year-old African U20 record holder, cleared 6.71m to win the title. This jump shattered the championship record of 6.33m set a decade ago by fellow Nigerian Ese Brume, a world and Olympic medalist. Oratile has already made his mark at the senior level. He was part of Botswana's 4x400m team, which finished first at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou in March. He won three gold medals in Abeokuta, following his 200m and 400m titles, including a relay gold.
Among the highlights of the championships, Uganda excelled in the long distances, Africa triumphed in the hurdles and track, and the Nigerian relay teams put in impressive performances.
MEET STATISTICS AND MEDAL TABLE