Commonwealth Youth Games: How Team Nigeria finish on a high
The day started with Faith Okwose and Samuel Ogazi registering their name as the queens and kings of 100m and 200 m respectively.
By Olusola Adebayo
Team Nigeria won three gold medals on, Thursday, the final day of the 2023 Youth Common Wealth Games, in Port of Spain the host city in Trinidad and Tobago, and set up a new games record in the 4× 100 m mixed relay to finish on a high.
The juniors finished their campaign on a blistering note at the Commonwealth Youth Games which ended on Thursday night; winning three gold medals and setting a new Games Record in the 4x100m mixed relay.
The day started with Faith Okwose and Samuel Ogazi registering their name as the queens and kings of 100m and 200 m respectively.
Faith claimed the gold medal in the women’s 400 meters while Samuel Ogazi men’s 200m events to make it a Nigerian affair in the sprints as both have earlier picked Gold Medals in the 100 meters boys and girls respectively.
Okwose returned 23.36s to pick the women’s 200m gold while her compatriot Eyakpobeyan Justina settled for the silver medal with her time of 23.47s, Locker La’nica from Antigua and Barbuda won the Bronze.
Samuel Ogazi put every other contestant in his wake and won the gold with a time of 21.22s, while compatriot Okon Israel Sunday finished fourth in a time of 21.94s, missing the podium by a whisker.
Team Nigeria wrapped up a superb day at the games when the quartet of Ogazi, Eyakpobeyan, Okwose, and Okon claimed gold in the 4x100m Mixed Relay with a new game record of 42.68s, smashing the old record of 43.19 feats set by Australia at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in Nashua.
Consequently, the three more gold medals won on the final day of action, took Nigeria's total medal haul, Eight medals, six gold and two silver medals, to finish the game in fifth behind South Africa in fourth ahead of Kenya in sixth position
.The 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games started on August 4 and ended on August 10 as Australia topped the overall medals table with 64 medals in all, 26 Gold, 17 Silver, and 21 Bronze medals.
The Aussies were followed by England with a total of 49 medals, 16 Gold, 17 Silver, and 26 Bronze.
Scotland finished third with a total of 28 medals, 12 Gold, 11 Silver, and 5 Bronze, and South Africa tops the medals table in fourth position with a total of 20 medals, 7 Gold, 6 silver,r, and 7 Bronze medals.
