By Kelvin Obambon
The U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar buzzed with excitement on Thursday, March 5, 2026, as the inaugural day of the MTN CHAMPS Athletics Classics delivered a series of high-octane performances. The event, which serves as a premier platform for discovering Nigeria’s next generation of track stars, saw athletes across various categories compete for glory in the Cross River State capital.
The competition commenced with a vibrant opening ceremony attended by several high-ranking dignitaries. Among those present were the Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey; the State Commissioner for Sports Development, Hon. Agnes Atsu; MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer, Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka; NSSF 2nd Vice President, Emmanuel Ebong; and the Technical Director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Gabriel Okon.
The highlight of the day came in the Junior Girls’ 100m, where Miracle Ezechukwu delivered a masterclass performance. Despite battling a -1.3m/s headwind, Ezechukwu clocked a blistering 11.67 seconds to top the charts. Her performance was not just a victory for the day; it also secured her qualification for the U20 World Championships scheduled to take place in the United States this August.
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Ezechukwu was followed by her teammate Rosemary Chigozie, who recorded 11.89 seconds against a stiffer -2.4m/s headwind. Lucy Nwankwo of Team MTN rounded out the top three with a time of 12.22 seconds.
In the Junior Boys’ 100m, Godwin Oghenerunor led the pack with a time of 10.75 seconds. He finished ahead of Liberty Okon and Team MTN’s Alvin Onyeama, who clocked 10.97 seconds and secured third place, respectively.
The Youth categories also saw impressive results as Miracle Festus Okon (Youth Girls’ 100m) took the top spot in 12.26 seconds, edging out Glory Bassey (12.41s) and Team MTN’s Rebecca Enilolobo (12.55s).
In the Youth Boys’ 100m Heats, Emmanuel Akolo of Team MTN dominated his heat in 11.50 seconds, narrowly beating Otobong Patrick (11.52s) and Nwabueze Kenechukwu (11.99s).
In the Men’s 100m heats, Wisdom Alexander set a scorching pace of 10.71 seconds. He was closely followed by Showers Ushie of Team MTN (10.83s), Nkereuwem Ibok (10.85s), and Iwara Mathias (10.87s).
The 400m events provided further thrills with Ethiopia’s Merdekiyos Wolde Wachiso led the Men’s 400m heats with an impressive 47.20 seconds. Ezekiel Asuquo of Team MTN finished second overall in 47.59 seconds, while Obashola Olaoluwa took third in 48.01 seconds.
In the Junior Boys’ 400m heats, Michael Aniche of Team MTN celebrated a massive Personal Best, stopping the clock at 49.15 seconds. He led Mfoniso Bassey (49.36s) and Prosper Ushie (49.68s) into the next round.
The action is set to intensify as the competition enters its second day on Friday, March 6. Fans can look forward to the highly anticipated finals of the 100m and 400m events, where the first set of champions for the Calabar leg will be crowned.
