Asaba 2018: Team Nigeria win 19 medals, finish 3rd

Team Nigeria finished on 3rd position behind Kenya and South Africa at the Senior African Athletics Championship in Asaba, Delta state capital, which concluded on Sunday.

The hosts won a total of 19 medals which include 9 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 5 bronze medals.

Team Kenya were the team to beat at the championships, as they raked in 11 Gold medals, 6 Silver medals and 2 Bronze medals to finish top of the medals table.

They were followed by South Africa in second place, who won 30 medals in total, with 9 Gold 13 Silver and 8 Bronze.

The championships had been marred by some early lapses, hugely by the troubles faced in the conveyance of athletes to the venue of the competition, the fallen overhead water tank at the stadium and also the complaints about the tracks.

The competition which began last Wednesday in Asaba was meant to be hosted in Lagos, according to the president of the Confederation of African Athletics; but when Lagos declined, Asaba came to the rescue.

The Delta state government immediately got to work and tried to put in order the 22,000-capacity Stephen Keshi Stadium which had been neglected since 1991. But they were short of time as the competition met the work not totally completed.

Despite the hitches, the competition was a success to a very large extent, and the government of the state will be proud to have registered Asaba in the books of the Athletics world.

Meanwhile, Algeria has been picked to host the next edition of the championships, which will be the 22nd edition in 2020.