2024 African Senior Athletics Championships: Goodness Iredia breaks Nigeria's 14 years drought long jump

Posted : 23 June 2024

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Goodness Iredia secured Nigeria's first men’s long jump medal in 14 years with a leap of 7.75 meters in the final.

Iredia's mark was just 3 centimeters shy of the 7.78 meters jump by South Africa’s Lionel Coetzee, who claimed the gold medal.

As of Monday, Team Nigeria had won three more medals on Day 2 of the African Seniors Athletics Championships in Douala, Cameroon.

The three medals included two silvers and a bronze, earned in the women's hammer, 4×400m mixed relay, and men's long jump events.

Sade Olatoye won silver in the women’s hammer with a best throw of 67.72 meters.

The mixed 4×400m relay team, consisting of Emmanuel Ojeli, Ella Onojuvwevwo, Dubem Nwachukwu, and Patience Okon-George, took silver with a time of 3:13.72. Gold went to South Africa with 3:13.12, and Botswana secured bronze with 3:15.93.

Emmanuel Njoku, another Nigerian competitor, finished fourth in the men’s long jump with a 7.72 meters effort.

Iredia’s medal is the first by a Nigerian male in this event since Stanley Gbagbeke won bronze in 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Nigeria had dominated the long jump event in the early years of the Championships, winning eight of the first nine editions, including a clean sweep of medals in 1979 and 1984.

In the women's 100m final, Olayinka Olajide placed second to last. Two athletes, Favour Ofili and Rosemary Chukwuma, did not compete in the 100m semi-finals, potentially facing sanctions from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

In the men’s 100m final, Nigeria missed the podium with Kanyinsola Ajayi finishing fourth. Liberia's Joseph Fahnbulleh won the race in 10.13 seconds, followed by Emmanuel Eseme with silver in 10.15 seconds, and South Africa’s Benjamin Richardson with bronze in 10.17 seconds.

On Day 3, Nigerians Chidi Okezie, Samuel Ogazi, and Dubem Amene will compete in the men’s 400m final, while Esther Elo Joseph will race in the women’s 400m final.

Expectations are high for Ese Brume in the women’s long jump final and Temitope Adeshina in the women’s high jump.

Nine events are scheduled for decision today (Sunday) at the Championships, including:

✓ Women's Long Jump
✓ Women's High Jump
✓ Women's 400m
✓ Men's 400m
✓ Women's 4×100m
✓ Men's 4×100m
✓ Women's 800m
✓ Men's 800m

2024 African Senior Athletics Championships: Goodness Iredia breaks Nigeria's 14 years drought long jump

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