Team Akwa Ibom had a productive Monday at the 2nd Niger Delta Games in Benin City, Edo State, winning a total of 16 medals across sports and strengthening its position on the medals table. The state recorded gold, silver and bronze medals in Athletics, Weightlifting, Traditional Wrestling, Boxing, Taekwondo and Swimming, among others.
Athletics
Team Akwa Ibom enjoyed a strong outing at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium. David Udoh won gold in the Men’s 400m final, while Jecinta Lawrence claimed silver in the Women’s 400m final.
Field events also produced medals, with Edidiong John winning bronze in the Women’s Long Jump, while Christian Ime Edet picked up bronze in the Men’s High Jump after clearing 1.85m.
Relay events are ongoing and will be concluded on Tuesday, with Team Akwa Ibom still in medal contention.
Weightlifting
As expected, Weightlifting delivered big for Team Akwa Ibom on its first day of action at the Etete Sports Centre, bringing in six medals.
Iniubong Felix Ita won two gold medals in the Men’s 60kg Snatch and Clean & Jerk, and a silver medal in the Total Lift category.
Mboutidem Asuquo Etim added three bronze medals in the Snatch, Clean & Jerk and Total Lift categories.
More medals are expected as action continues on Tuesday.
Traditional Wrestling
Traditional Wrestling produced a gold medal for Team Akwa Ibom, with Nsidibe Okon Edet winning the Men’s 45kg category at the Etete Sports Centre.
Wrestling
Wrestling began with mixed fortunes for Team Akwa Ibom. The state will look forward to a better outing on Tuesday as athletes continue to compete in various weight categories.
Boxing
Team Akwa Ibom won two bronze medals in Boxing, with Future David (51kg Female) and Princewill Itoro Effiong (60kg Male) both finishing on the podium.
The state also has two boxers in finals scheduled for Tuesday, raising hopes of additional medals.
Table Tennis
The Team Akwa Ibom boys’ doubles pair of Bright Bassey and Destiny Ini-Imo have reached the final. Bright Bassey also secured a semifinal ticket in the boys’ singles event.
Table Tennis action continues, with Team Akwa Ibom hopeful of medals.
Tennis
Etoro Bassey defeated Lorelay Holzendorff of Edo State 2-0 (6-1, 6-1) to reach the women’s singles final.
In doubles, Etoro Bassey and Wisdom Effiong came from behind to defeat Team Abia 2-1 (3:6, 7:5, 10:3) in the semifinals to reach the final. Both players are also through to the finals of their respective singles events.
Football
The Team Akwa Ibom female football team played a 1-1 draw against Delta State, picking up their first point of the group stage and improving on their opening day loss.
The male team will face Abia State on Tuesday and will be aiming for a positive result to reach the next round.
Basketball
Team Akwa Ibom is out of the Basketball competition, but the teams gave a good account of themselves with deep runs in the tournament.
Volleyball
Team Akwa Ibom is out of the Volleyball event after gallant efforts in both the men’s and women’s categories.
Swimming
Itoro Benjamin Sunday won bronze in the women’s event, giving Team Akwa Ibom its first ever swimming medal at the Niger Delta Games. Swimming action continues on Tuesday, with more events to be contested.
Taekwondo
Taekwondo concluded on Monday with Team Akwa Ibom winning eight medals in the sport. Medallists include Emediong Etim (silver) and Victory Inyang (bronze) in the -67kg female category, among others.
Chess
Team Akwa Ibom youngsters narrowly missed out on medals in Chess. The competition ended with valuable lessons learnt for the future.
Handball
Handball matches continued, with Team Akwa Ibom athletes gaining valuable experience as the Games progressed.