The Most Valuable Performers (MVPs) from Seasons 1 & 2 of Nigeria’s biggest Schools’ Athletics Championships – MTN CHAMPS, MoC Academy, under the banner of ‘Team MTN’, is set to make a statement in Season 3 of the competition from which the athletes were discovered in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
In what will be a full circle moment for the talented athletes who were selected across the seven cities that hosted MTN CHAMPS Seasons 1 & 2: Benin, Uyo, Ibadan, Abuja, Asaba, Jos and Calabar, Team MTN will be eager to showcase the progress they’ve made since joining the MoC Athletics Academy in Lagos, sponsored by MTN, and being trained by one of Nigeria’s fastest men and Olympic medallist, Deji Aliu.
The inaugural class of 20 athletes from Seasons 1 and 2 of MTN CHAMPS were unveiled in August 2024 at a ceremony at MTN’s Headquarters in Lagos and comprised of 5 Female Sprinters, 3 Female Quartermilers, 7 Male Sprinters and 5 Male Quartermilers.
Season 3 of CHAMPS will take place in three cities: Benin (March 13th to 15th), Lagos (April 9th to 12th), and the Grand Final in Uyo (April 30th to May 3rd).
Team MTN at the MoC Athletics Academy will be presenting three teams: Senior, Junior and Youth at MTN CHAMPS in Benin next week and all legs of Season 3.
Team MTN Seniors
Women: Jane Onyeneho and Miracle Uwem
Men: Showers Ushie and Benjamin Magaji
Team MTN Juniors
Girls: Azeezat Muhammed-Raji, Lucy Nwankwo, Mercy Ogbonna, Toheebat Jimoh and Patience Joseph
Boys: Alvin Onyeama, Emmanuel Oyewale, Ezekiel Eno, Emmanuel Obi, Prosper Ushie and Stephen Adejumo
Team MTN Youth
Fervent Edet (Boy) and Chizoba Onyemauwa (Girl)
Some members of MoC Academy’s Team MTN have shown their readiness for Season 3 of MTN CHAMPS whilst competing at the South West Athletics Conference (SWAC) which was recently held in Lagos.
Alvin Onyeama who was one of the promising athletes discovered during Season 1 of MTN CHAMPS Uyo set two Personal Bests (PB) at the Lagos Meet, posting a time of 11.08s, and then improved on that mark in the Final B of the men’s 100m, crossing the line in 5th place clocking 11.04s.
His counterparts Benjamin Magaji (new PB of 49.06s) and Ezekiel Eno (49.15s) finished 4th and 5th respectively in the men’s 400m at the event.
Miracle Uwem led from start to finish in her 400m heat at the SWAC Meet, racing to the line to win Heat 1 of women’s 400m in a Season’s Best (SB) of 55.74s. Her time was the second fastest overall in all the heats, one second off her PB of 54.75s.
Competing in both the women’s 400m and the 200m at the South West Athletics Conference (SWAC), MoC athlete, Jane Onyeneho ran Personal Bests in both events., winning Heat 2 of the women’s 400m, clocking a new PB of 55.79s to finish 3rd fastest overall in all the heats. She returned for the 200m one hour later, and ran the fastest time overall, winning her heat in a new PB of 24.28s (+0.2).
Lucy Chiamaka Nwankwo was not left out of the PB-setting exploits, shaving off four-tenths of a second from her previous 100m lifetime best of 12.60s set last year at the MTN CHAMPS Grand Final in Calabar, running a new PB of 12.20s to win the Girls 100m Final B race.
The ultimate goal of MTN CHAMPS is to re-ignite grassroots athletics talent searches across Nigeria to discover athletes who will be trained and developed to deliver global medals and become future sporting legends for the nation. Winners from Season 3 will have the opportunity to join the MoC Athletics Academy in Lagos, with MTN as the lead sponsor, to enable the best talents discovered to earn college scholarships at home and abroad for a chance to one day represent Nigeria at future global competitions!
