March 22, (THEWILL) – The medals at the ongoing Nigerian Universities Games Association (NUGA), 2022 edition at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) kept apace on Monday, as Naomi Nnamdi Chinyere, who won the steady 5000 metres walk-race over 12 other competitors, gave the hosts their first gold medal of the weekend in the women category.
She finished in 33 minutes and 27 seconds, beating UNILORIN’s Habibat Adeshina and UNIPORT’s Rita Odigbo, to second and third place, respectively.
Apebu Akugbe James of Benson Idahosa University won gold, Danladi Philemon of the University of Maiduguri took silver, and Abdulfatai Abdulahi of Osun State University, finished third in the men’s event.
There was also a leading podium finish for the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), as they won their first gold medal, with Glory Tochukwu, a competitor in the women’s debate, defeating Eucharia Ogbukwo of Kaduna State University (KASU) and Linda Nwago of University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) for silver and bronze, respectively.
Etim Ekomobong of UNIPORT earned the gold medal in the male category, while Richard Fatoriji of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and Agbugba Ikechukwu of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umuahia, respectively won the silver and bronze medals.
UNIBEN defeated UNIZIK in women’s chess, while OAU thrashed University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), FUNAAB drew with FUTMINNA, and UNILAG was held by Unilorin. The University of Ibadan (UI) could not keep up with the skill of UNIPORT and were thoroughly defeated.
The men’s 200m backstroke event saw underdogs Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE) defeat UNILAG for silver and Nile University for bronze in the highly anticipated swimming category.
University of Calabar defeated Niger Delta University (NDU), UI defeated IAUE in the women’s table tennis semi-finals, much as UNIBEN defeated Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba in the women’s football semi-finals.
The football tables currently have Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in first place in Group A, while Nasarawa State University is in last place. Group B is led by UNILAG with OOU at the bottom, Unilorin tops Group C with Sokoto State University at the bottom and Group D is led by Federal University, Dutse, with UI at the bottom.
In men’s handball, UNILAG drew with Bayero University in Kano, while the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) defeated Lagos State University. Kaduna State University was also defeated by UNN women, while Bayero University defeated Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT).
The basketball event had UNILAG’s men triumphant against UNIBEN, whom they beat 41-33 in their first game, while the NDU defeated Unilorin in the same event.
At the women’s event, OAU defeated Lead City University, while UNILAG, Lagos State University, and Bayero University all won by a landslide.
On Tuesday, the highly competitive events at the UNILAG Sports Centre and the Teslim Balogun Stadium get going again with UNILAG intent on keeping to their promise of “hosting to win”.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
