Emmanuel Audu, Iyanuoluwa Aderemi, Godwin Tejiri and Miracle Ezechukwu were among the standout performers as the Athletic Heat 10th Anniversary Meet celebrated a decade of promoting Nigerian athletics with an impressive display of talent and personal-best performances in Lagos.
The competition, held at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex on Saturday, November 7, 2026, brought together established athletes, emerging talents and grassroots competitors for a celebration of athletics under the theme, “10 Years of Impact. A Legacy That Keeps Running.”
The anniversary meet also served as a pre-National Sports Festival competition, giving athletes an opportunity to assess their preparations and compete for prize money across several track and field disciplines.
One of the biggest highlights came in the men’s shot put, where Emmanuel Audu produced a personal-best throw of 16.84m to claim the title ahead of Dickson Nnadozie, who also recorded a personal best of 16.43m.
Chinedu Abujei completed the podium with 16.14m, while David Bosa finished fourth with 15.27m. All four athletes recorded personal bests in an outstanding competition supported by Nigerian international shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, who provided a ₦950,000 prize purse.
Audu collected ₦400,000 for first place, with Nnadozie receiving ₦300,000, Abujei ₦150,000 and Bosa ₦100,000.
On the track, Godwin Tejiri emerged as the men’s 100m champion in 10.35 seconds, while Miracle Ezechukwu secured the women’s title in 11.21 seconds.
Iyanuoluwa Aderemi was another major attraction, delivering one of the most remarkable individual performances of the competition.
The young quarter-miler won the women’s 400m in 51.29 seconds before anchoring her teams to victory in both the mixed 4x100m and mixed 4x400m relays to complete a three-gold-medal haul.
Aderemi, who trains with Team Holy Trinity under coach Leye Ogunmakinju, demonstrated her versatility and endurance across the individual and relay events.
The mixed 4x400m relay produced another competitive contest, with SWAA Stormers taking gold in a personal-best 3:19.49. Kentula Athletics finished second in 3:23.69, while Global Power claimed third in 3:24.96. All three teams recorded personal bests.
The middle-distance events also delivered close contests, particularly in the men’s 800m, where Gafaru Badmus produced a winning performance of 1:53.76.
Badmus, who primarily competes in the 400m, finished just ahead of Owolabi Timileyin (1:53.91) and Samson Teibowei (1:53.92) in a tightly contested race.
In the men’s 400m, Esan Solomon Tosin of Ekiti State took the title in 47.00 seconds, while Abdullahi Olawale Abdulazeez claimed the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.93 seconds.
Abdulazeez finished ahead of Uchechukwu Felix Obi, who clocked 14.08 seconds, and Great Wisdom Musa, who placed third in 14.28 seconds.
The women’s hurdles produced another impressive performance as Janet Deleme Sunday established a new personal best of 13.31 seconds to win the 100m hurdles. Stella Ayanleke followed closely in 13.35 seconds, also a personal best, while Precious Okeoghene Uduvweghre finished third in 14.02 seconds.
The field events provided their share of memorable moments, with Timothy Ugherakpoteni winning the men’s triple jump with a personal-best mark of 15.69m. The top three athletes in the competition all recorded personal bests.
Clement Victor Honorable secured the men’s high jump title after clearing 2.00m, the same height achieved by silver medallist Cyprain Oyedele. Jimoh Mohammed took bronze with 1.80m.
In the women’s high jump, Clergy Edet claimed gold with a clearance of 1.65m, while Glory Jarrett won the women’s long jump with a mark of 6.10m.
Jarrett’s victory carried an emotional significance. She dedicated her gold medal to her late father, who had passed away just a week before the competition.
In the throwing events, Ruqqayah Kemi Mustapha won the women’s discus, while Nyerhovwo-Benaiah Ofuoku claimed the men’s title.
Samuel Kure also delivered a notable performance in the men’s javelin, recording 80.80m to take the gold medal.
The competition attracted more than 850 athletes, according to pre-event organisers’ estimates, with participants travelling from different parts of the country to compete.
Its significance extended beyond the medal winners. By providing competition opportunities, technical organisation and financial incentives, the meet offered athletes a platform to assess their progress while encouraging greater involvement from established Nigerian athletes in grassroots development.
The National Sports Commission’s Director-General, Bukola Olopade, had pledged ₦6 million towards the competition, including ₦4 million for winners in the throwing events and ₦2 million for logistics.
Athletic Heat founder and Chief Executive Officer Ese Oguma explained that the initiative was driven by his desire to create more opportunities for Nigerian athletes to compete.
Speaking after the competition, Oguma said the original idea was to provide a platform for athletes to prepare for the National Sports Festival while celebrating the people who make athletics possible.
He also called on individuals and organisations with the capacity to support sports development to invest in initiatives that create opportunities for athletes.
The anniversary competition was sanctioned by World Athletics and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, with technical officials overseeing the events and a live-results partnership helping to make performances accessible to the wider athletics community.
Although the competition was scheduled for Saturday, November 7, activities extended into Sunday, November 8.
For Athletic Heat, the anniversary represented more than a decade of documenting Nigerian athletics. It also demonstrated how a platform built around telling athletes’ stories could evolve into an organiser of competitive opportunities.
As the platform enters its next decade, the challenge will be to sustain that momentum and continue creating opportunities for athletes to compete, improve and attract the recognition their performances deserve.
