Anambra’s Ezechichiri Leaps 2.05m To Emerge High Jump Champion At AFN Tourney
Fiaku Ezechichiri, 16 years old sensational high jumper has lept a new personal best of 2.05 metres to emerge overall best at the just concluded AFN All Comers U18-U20 athletics trials and competition in Kaduna.
Ezechichiri, the current national school athletics high jump champion who was the youngest at the competition competed in all the three categories.
Coach Johnny Igboka who led the 7-man team to Kaduna told journalists in Awka on arrival that wonder kid had qualified to represent Nigeria at the African youth championship coming up later in the year.
Igboka said Eze Peace competed in the female U18 category of shotput and javelin event finishing in the 2nd in and 3rd place respectively while Chukwukere Gold competed in the 400 metres and 800 metres U18 category finishing 5th and 6th position respectively.
He said Kenechukwu Nwabueze who competed in the 800 metres and 1,500 metres events, pulled a surprising 3rd and 4th place finishes while Lucy Ime came 3rd in her age group of the triple jump event after leaping a distance of 9.94m.
The coach said Chidi Bright ran 4th in the 400 metres heat but was not selected to run in the final due to the technical error that affected most athletes.
Igboka described the outing at Kaduna as a huge success as it provided the opportunity for the budding athletes to compete at a national scale and enrich their exposures.
He commended the Anambra Sports Development Commission under the chairmanship of Patrick-Estate Onyedum for ensuring that the State participated in all the invitations so far received this year adding that he was truly raising a generation of champions in no distant time.
“The AFN All Comers was a huge success, already, we have a national high jump champion in Fiaku Ezechichiri who was the youngest in Kaduna, he will compete for the country.
“We also have others who did well in their various events, we shall go back and intensify our training because they are champions in the making, I want to thank the Sports Development Commission for giving us the opportunity,” he said.
