Charles Ogundiya 
Team MTN has made a bold statement at the ongoing MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays in Lagos, with the first two days of competition seeing the youngsters achieve new lifetime bests and shine at the event.
The athletes, discovered during Seasons 1 and 2 of MTN CHAMPS and currently training at the MoC Athletics Academy in Lagos, began their season in March at MTN CHAMPS Benin, where they secured eight medals.
The team has elevated its performance in Lagos, with several athletes achieving new personal bests, reinforcing their potential as future stars.
On Day 1, Alvin Onyeama, who previously set personal bests of 10.97secs and 10.91secs in Benin, was ecstatic after clocking 10.80secs in the heats and further shattering his PB to 10.62secs in the Junior Boys’ 100m semifinals.
Teammate Emmanuel Oyewale also impressed, running a PB of 11.12secs to place 2nd in his 100m heat.
Lucy Nwankwo led the charge in the Junior Women’s 100m, setting a new lifetime best of 12.07secs in the semis before spearheading a 1-2-3 finish for Team MTN in the final.
She dipped under 12.00secs for the first time, clocking 11.99secs, followed by Mercy Ogbonna (12.16secs), who improved from her semifinal PB of 12.37secs, and Azeezat Muhammed-Raji, who secured Bronze in 12.18secs—0.02secs faster than her semifinal time.
Despite being a junior, Ezekiel Asuquo clocked the fastest time across both junior and senior 200m preliminaries, running a PB of 21.57secs and surpassing his previous best of 22.42secs from two years ago.
In the senior category, Benjamin Magaji won his 400m heat and matched his PB of 48.04secs in the final, claiming Silver behind Samson Nathaniel (46.71secs).
A similar storyline unfolded in the Women’s 400m, where Miracle Uwem Donald was thrilled to see 54.59secs on the clock as she dominated her heat.
She went on to take Silver in the final, finishing behind veteran Patience Okon George (52.67secs) with a time of 55.10secs.
Meanwhile, Showers Ushie entered the sub-11 club, winning his heat in 10.79secs before posting 10.89secs in the semifinals.
