Encomium
The third season of the MTN Champs Continental Relays kicked off in Lagos on Wednesday, April 10, with an exciting showcase of young athletic talent. Held across two locations — the YabaTech Sports Complex and the UNILAG Sports Centre — the competition will see over 2,500 athletes take to the track and field in a wide range of event entries.
The competition has 155 secondary schools competing in four age categories: Cadet (U14), Youth (U17), Junior (U20), and Senior in Lagos, Nigeria, as well as neighbouring countries like Benin Republic, Togo, and Ivory Coast.
One of the standout performances of the day at the University of Lagos Sports Centre came from Jimoh Mohammed, who soared to victory in the U-17 Boys Long Jump, recording an impressive 6.60m leap. Reflecting on his performance and the journey that led him there, Jimoh said:
“It feels great. I feel really encouraged to do better. I train every day — even during Ramadan while fasting. I’ve competed at the National Youth Games and the All-Athletics School Games, but this platform from MTN is also special to me. It pushes young athletes like me to keep going,”.
In the U-17 Girls Long Jump, Princess Rita Ekwueme claimed top honours with a leap of 5.11m. She credited her victory to consistent and intense training, often during and after school hours.
“This win means so much to me. MTN has created a platform that brings young people together and puts a spotlight on athletics. I want other young athletes to believe in themselves and stay committed. Nothing comes easy, but hard work always pays off,” she shared.
MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer, Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, describes the MTN Champs as a platform that continues to grow, inspire, and transform the future of athletics in Nigeria.
“MTN Champs is a platform that continues to grow, inspire, and transform the future of Athletics in Nigeria. At MTN, we’ve been committed to supporting the dreams and aspirations of Nigerians, not only through innovative solutions but also through active involvement in socially impactful initiatives and programmes. This is why we are actively involved in sports, especially in Football and Athletics. In 2023, we launched the MTN Champs with a clear vision to discover and nurture young Athletic talents with the goal of building future Olympians for Nigeria,” observed the MTN’s CMO.
The ultimate goal of MTN Champs is to re-ignite a grassroots athletics talent search across Nigeria to discover and develop the athletes that will deliver global medals and become future sporting legends for the nation. It is not just a competition but a growing movement to nurture these talents across Nigeria.
Athletes in the cadet and youth categories will continue competing at UNILAG through Friday before joining their junior and senior counterparts at YabaTech for the grand finale on Saturday, April 12.
