Team Nigeria Ends ANOCA Zone III Games on a Golden High
Written by Alonge Akinlolu on 18 — 10
It was a gold rush for Team Nigeria at the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) Zone III Games in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, following a commanding display in both Weightlifting and Badminton.
Nigeria’s athletes wrapped up their campaign in grand style, securing a total of 12 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal, reaffirming their dominance in the region.
In Badminton, Team Nigeria swept five gold, one silver, and one bronze. Shehu Aliyu emerged victorious in the men’s singles, defeating Benin Republic’s Fano Dosh 2-0 to clinch gold, while Joseph Abel settled for bronze. The women’s singles final was an all-Nigerian affair, with Dorcas Adesokan overpowering Deborah Ukeh to secure the top prize.
Aliyu and Ukeh later combined forces to win the mixed doubles title, overcoming fellow Nigerians Joseph Abel and Adesokan in an entertaining final.
Nigeria’s weightlifters also delivered a flawless performance, with Ibrahim Rabiu claiming a clean sweep of three gold medals in the 79kg category, snatch, clean and jerk, and total.
Reigning African Champion Adeyemi Vincent replicated the feat in the 110kg category, while Tuesday Emmanuel, the current African Champion in the women’s 71kg class, added another triple-gold performance to Nigeria’s medal haul.
