Burkina Faso, South Africa Win First Gold Medals At CAA U18/U20 Athletics Championships

Burkina Faso made an impressive start by clinching the first gold medal in the U-18 women’s triple jump at the ongoing 3rd combined CAA African U18/U20 Championships taking place in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The Burkinabe athlete, Zango Salisa, achieved a jump of 12.79m to capture the gold, finishing ahead of Morocco’s Masat Kaota, who recorded a jump of 12.39m. Tunisia’s Finel Chidi took home the bronze medal with a jump of 12.26m.

Also on day1, defending champions South Africa also secured their first gold, with Natro Ler triumphing in the U18 high jump event, clearing a height of 2m. Nigerian athletes Ikeki Daniel and Oddo Melvin finished in second and third place, respectively.

The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Michael Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, has expressed his confidence that the next generation of African athletics superstars will emerge from the Championship.

Oba Gbadebo expressed his optimism during a courtesy visit by the chairman, local organising committee and director-general of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, who led a delegation from the CAA to the monarch’s palace in Abeokuta before the commencement of the championship yesterday. The paramount ruler of Egba land highlighted Abeokuta’s rich cultural heritage and history as the host city for the junior championship.

“First and foremost, I want to say that I am very pleased that our son, Hon. Bukola Olopade, is the Director-General of Sports in Nigeria. We are immensely proud of the work he is doing to develop sports in Nigeria.

“We are also delighted to host this championship here in Abeokuta, and I am highly confident that many of the young talents participating will soon begin to shine across the globe,” Oba Gbadebo said.

The Alake stressed, “It may interest our visitors to know that Abeokuta was the first town in West Africa to produce a traditional ruler who travelled to Europe in 1904.

We signed a treaty of friendship with the British in 1893, so when the British colonised Nigeria, we were not part of it.”

The revered monarch also urged CAA officials to fully embrace their time in the state by experiencing the rich culture and hospitality of Egbaland.

“Before you leave Abeokuta, I encourage you to visit the first Presidential Library in West Africa – the Olusegun Obasanjo Library. You should also explore our local market and purchase our ‘adire’ fabric, which is our cultural export to the world. In all you do, take something from Abeokuta that will remind you of your visit,” he added.

The President of the CAA, Halmad Kalkaba Malboum, thanked the Alake of Egbaland, and commended President Bola Tinubu for creating the platform and the support that enabled Nigeria to host the championship following the withdrawal of Algeria which was earlier billed to host the tournament.