The National Sports Commission (NSC) has congratulated 17-year-old swimming prodigy Abduljabar Adama and the Nigeria Aquatics Federation (NAqF) following Adama’s remarkable achievement of winning a silver medal in the men’s 50m butterfly event at the World Junior Swimming Championships held in Otopeni, Romania.
Adama secured silver with an impressive time of 23.64 seconds, finishing a mere 0.10 seconds behind Great Britain’s Dean Fearn, who won gold with a time of 23.54 seconds.
NSC director-general, Hon. Bukola Olopade, expressed his pride in Adama’s achievement, describing it as a significant milestone for Nigerian sports. In a statement released by his media aide, Kola Daniel, he remarked:
“Abduljabar Adama’s silver medal is a proud moment for Nigeria and for Africa. His hard work and talent have once again demonstrated that our athletes can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.”
Hon. Olopade emphasised that such moments remind the NSC of its commitment to providing the necessary support and structure to nurture talent, believing that this is just the beginning of many more international successes for both Adama and Nigerian swimming.
Adama initially drew attention during the heats, where he recorded the second-fastest overall time (23.61 seconds) among 116 swimmers across 12 heats. He then excelled in the semifinals, winning his race with an impressive 23.48 seconds before putting up a valiant effort in the final.
This latest accomplishment adds to Adama’s growing list of accolades; earlier in March, he shone during the 16th Africa Junior Swimming Championships in Cairo, Egypt, where he clinched three gold medals, one bronze, and set multiple records, including a new African Junior record in the 50m freestyle.
