CAA U18/U20 Championships: AFN unveils 92-athlete squad as Ochonogor, Onyah seek to upgrade U18 silver to U20 gold
Prestina Oluchi Ochonogor, Nigeria’s breakout long jump star and Paris 2024 Olympic finalist, will headline Team Nigeria’s 92-athlete contingent at the 3rd Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) U18/U20 Championships, which kicks off Wednesday in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Ochonogor, who won silver in the U18 category two years ago in Ndola, Zambia, returns with a vengeance—this time as the African U20 leader in the event.
Her 6.67m leap almost two months ago in Arlington, Texas is the best by an African U20 athlete so far this year. She now seeks to upgrade her U18 long jump silver to U20 gold and cement her status as the continent’s top junior jumper.
Joining her in the quest for redemption is quarter-miler Favour Onyah Onyinye, another silver medalist from Ndola.
Onyah, who clocked a personal best of 51.93s earlier this season, leads the African U20 rankings among those competing in the 400m at the U20 level and will be looking to dominate her event on home soil.
Interestingly, the current African U20 leader in the quarter-mile, Chioma Nwachukwu, will compete in the U18 category. The 17-year-old prodigy from Delta State boasts a blistering 51.26s PB and has already made waves in the U.S. collegiate circuit.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) unveiled the final list of 92 athletes on Tuesday, with 51 males and 41 females selected across both age categories. Ochnogor and Onyah are among the most decorated names on the roster, which includes a mix of homegrown talent and rising collegiate stars.
The Championships, hosted at the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta, will feature over 700 athletes from 35 countries.
Nigeria, as host, is aiming to top the medal table and dethrone defending champions South Africa.
While Nigeria is expected to dominate the sprint and the relays, South Africa will be hoping to dominate the field events with the middle and long distances reserved, as it were, for the east Africans.
