Team Nigeria capped off a stellar athletics campaign at the fourth African Youth Games in Angola with a commanding 11-medal haul six golds and five silvers as events wrapped up on Saturday, showcasing the nation's burgeoning track and field talent pool. Standout sprinter Rosemary Chigozie Nwakwo blazed to gold in the girls' 100m final, clocking 11.77 seconds to outpace South Africa's Oluchi Ndubueze (silver, 12.12s) and Morocco's Maria Saadi (bronze), while Emmanuel Akolo grabbed silver in the boys' 100m at 10.76s behind South Africa's Micah Africa.
The dominance continued in middle distances and hurdles, with Tejiri Ugoh powering to gold in the girls' 200m (23.95s) ahead of South Africa's Isabella Gunter, Hafsoh Bisola Majekodunmi claiming girls' 400m gold in 55.16s over Ethiopia's Desta Kurni, and David Udoh earning boys' 400m silver (47.77s) against South Africa's Fairlie Jaydon. Gift Gowon added boys' 400m hurdles silver, bolstering the tally, as field stars like Timothy triumphed in boys' triple jump gold and Godswill Anelechi Nkemakolam leaped to boys' long jump silver with 7.18m, surpassing rivals including South Africa's Jayden Fourie.
This haul underscores Nigeria's sprinting supremacy and depth across relays, hurdles, and jumps at the youth level, signaling promise for future continental and global stages amid the Games' home stretch. The feats in Luanda affirm sustained investment in young athletes, positioning Team Nigeria as a track powerhouse while other disciplines like beach volleyball also delivered golds against Egypt.