In spite of not getting enough rest ahead of the 3rd U–18 and 14th U-20 Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Championships, Nigeria’s Best Erhire, a high jump gold medallist at the competition, said that he aimed higher.
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Erhire, who competed in the U-18 category, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Cote d’Ivoire that though he was grateful for the medal, he aimed higher than 2.08m recorded in the competition.
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“I felt the goodness of God when I won the gold medal in spite of all the stress, the distance and little period for rest; God still gave me victory,” he said.
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NAN reports that Joshua Onezime of Seychelles came second with a jump of 2.06m, while Egypt’s Zyad Fabraka came third with a jump of 2.04m.
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He said that in spite of winning a gold medal, the competition was not as easy as everyone put in their best, saying that God and hardwork made him excel.
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“Yes, I had an insight that I was going to win but to be honest, I wasn’t expecting it to be easy and it wasn’t easy at all I must say,” he said.
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The 2018 National Sport Festival (NSF) bronze medallist said his improvement was as a result of grace and hardwork, saying that his fans should expect better result in the future.
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“By God’s grace, more personal bests are still coming because the improvement so far has been on the shoulders of hard work and God’s grace,” he said.
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The high jumper, who represented the country at the 2018 African Youth Games and finished fourth position, dedicated his gold medal to his country, mother, coach and fans.
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“I will like to dedicate the medal to my mum, my coach, my country and everyone who has supported me in one way or the other,” he said.
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In the women’s Triple Jump event, Nigeria recorded two medals in the two categories of the women’s event.
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Onaara Obamuwagum jumped to a new personal best of 12.78m to win the U-20 category, while Grace Oshiokpu got a bronze medal in the U-18 category with a mark of 11.87m.
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The competition which is scheduled for April 16 to April 20 has no fewer than 36 countries in attendance.
