Winners after being decorated at the National Junior Swimming Competition held in Asaba in June 2023. Photo:Sam Erhunmwunsee/Radio Nigeria.
Edo State has emerged overall winner of the just concluded National Junior Swimming Competition organized by the Nigeria Aquatics Federation at the Stephen Keshi Stadium Swimming Pool Complex, in Asaba.
The State topped the medals table with 11 gold, four silver and three bronze medals to beat other states and clubs that competed.
The Host, Delta State finished second on the medals table with six gold, nine silver and four bronze medals while Jimi Osinowo Swimming Club, Lagos came third, with four gold, two silver and three bronze medals.
A total of 78 medals were presented to various individual winners in the 26 swimming category events competed for in the National Junior Swimming Competition.
A breakdown of the medals table revealed that a 15-year-old female athlete from Edo State, Agnes John, won six gold medals and 17-year-old Mabel Gillow of Bayelsa won two gold medals.
Declaring the National Junior Swimming Competition closed, the President of the Nigeria Aquatics Federation, Mrs Chinenye Dafe Aliyu expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the three-day competition.
She said the competition was part of preparations for Nigeria’s participation in sub continental junior swimming competition slated to hold in Accra, Ghana later in 2023 as well as other international championships coming up in Egypt and Israel.
Mrs Dafe Aliyu urged the junior swimmers at the competition to remain in the sports, saying that swimming as a specialized sport, provides opportunity for them to pursue professional degree programmes relating to sports including medics.
Reporting by Sam Erhunmwunsee; Editing by Annabel Nwachukwu