Nigeria finish second as 13th African Games ends

March 24, 2024

Team Nigeria finished second on the medals table at the 13th African Games in Ghana. The Nigerian contingent raked in 47 gold, 33 silver, and 40 bronze medals across 25 sports at the competition. Weightlifting produced Nigeria’s highest medal haul.

Team Nigeria dominated the athletics event, claiming an amazing 11 gold, six silver and four bronze, totaling 21 medals.  The 2003 champions on home soil also dominated wrestling and weightlifting events but found themselves in a distant second position to Egypt on the overall medals table.

Leaders Egypt boast 186 medals — 100 gold, 44 silver, and 42 bronze — while second-place Team Nigeria have 114 medals – 43 gold, 32 silver, and 39 bronze.

South Africa are in third place with 32 gold, 32 silver, and 41 bronze. Algeria, Tunisia, hosts Ghana, Morocco, Mauritius, Ethiopia, and Kenya complete the Top 10 spots in that order.

Nigeria achieved her best-ever performance in the athletics event at the African Games in 1995 when the athletes won a total of 32 medals made up of 15 gold, nine silver, and eight bronze.

In a related development, on the last day of boxing action, Nigerian boxers recorded resounding victories in their different categories winning eight of the 10 finals they qualified for.

While the women landed five gold medals, the men got three gold medals. The five gold medalists for the women are Jacinta Umunnakwe (81kg), Blessing Oraekwe- women’s (70kg), Cynthia Ogunsemilore (60kg), Patricia Mbata (75kg), and Joy Nene Ojo (57kg). For the men, the three gold medal winners are Ifeanyi Onyekwere (92+kg), Adams Olaore (92kg), and Omole Dolapo- (57kg)