‘Electric’ Alaba Akintola wins Freshman award
Reigning National Sports Festival 200m champion Alaba Akintola is setting the American collegiate circuit on fire after another impressive displays over the weekend.
The 20 year took home Freshman of the Meet, High Point Scorer of the Meet, and First Team All-Conference USA at the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Nigerian sprinter was nothing short of electric at the weekend, erasing a 17-year-old record in the men’s 200m with a time of 20.72 seconds which is a massive improvement on the 21.39s personal best he set at the CrossPlex Athletic Facility also in Birmingham, Alabama.
Akintola also clocked 6.72 seconds on his way to a first-place finish in the men’s 60m.
He had early this month raced inside 6.70s in the event, running 6.67s to set a new personal best in the event.
Another Nigerian, Benjamin Onyekwelu earned First Team All-Conference USA for taking first in the men’s long jump with a jump of 7.69m.
Onyekwelu also finished in fourth place during the men’s triple jump hitting a personal-best mark of 15.36 meters.
Omamuyovwi Erhire set a new programme record on Saturday, clearing a height of 2.23m which earned him Second Team All-Conference USA honors.
On day two, Erhire earned his second silver medal of the weekend hitting 15.65 meters in the men’s triple jump.
