Nigeria Junior Swimmers Bag Six Medals on Opening Day in Ghana

By Arinzechi Chukwunonso

Nigeria’s Junior Swimming Team made a flying start at the Africa Zone 2 Swimming Championship in Ghana, hauling in six medals in the opening day’s morning session, consisting of two gold, one silver, and three bronze medals.

Star swimmer Aidan Dumuje stole the spotlight with a sensational double-gold performance. He claimed the 200m freestyle boys’ event in a blistering 2 minutes 06 seconds, before returning to dominate the 50m backstroke boys’ final, touching the wall first in 20.04 Seconds.

His outstanding swims placed Nigeria firmly in the medal conversation from the outset.

Timileyin Olaiya followed up with a strong performance in the 200m freestyle boys’ race, securing the bronze medal in 2 minutes 17 seconds, while Goodluck Godwin earned Nigeria another podium finish in the 50m backstroke boys’ event, clocking 30.40 seconds to claim bronze.

On the girls’ side, Ibidapo Oluwatofunmi delivered a resilient effort in the 400m individual medley, finishing with a silver medal in a time of 6 minutes 24 seconds. The junior girls’ relay team also battled hard to clinch a bronze medal, completing Nigeria’s tally for the morning session.

By the end of the morning events on day one, Nigeria had secured six medals in total — two gold, one silver, and three bronze — setting a positive tone for the rest of the championship. The swimmers are expected to return in the evening session with confidence and determination to extend the country’s medal count.