MTN Champs star Lucy Nwankwo wins double gold for Nigeria in Dakar

MTN Champs continues to validate its grassroots talent development programme after Team MTN athlete Lucy Nwankwo delivered a double gold performance for Nigeria at the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) U18/U20 Region II Championships in Dakar, Senegal.

The young sprinter emerged as one of the standout performers at the continental championships, winning both the women’s U20 100m and 200m titles while setting new personal bests in each event.

Nwankwo opened her campaign by storming to victory in the U20 100m in a personal best time of 11.40 seconds, claiming her first gold medal of the championships.

She returned on the final day to complete an impressive sprint double, winning the U20 200m in another personal best of 23.46 seconds (unofficial) to add a second gold medal to Nigeria’s tally.

MTN Champs producing future stars

Nwankwo’s success is another major milestone for MTN Champs, MTN Nigeria’s flagship schools athletics competition, which was established to identify, nurture and develop the country’s next generation of track and field stars.

Since its launch, the programme has provided thousands of young Nigerian athletes with access to elite competition, coaching and development opportunities, creating a pathway from grassroots athletics to national and international championships.

Her achievements in Dakar underline the growing impact of sustained investment in youth sports development and demonstrate how the MTN Champs platform is helping young athletes compete successfully on the continental stage.

Strengthening Nigeria’s athletics pipeline

The double-gold triumph adds to the growing list of athletes emerging through the MTN Champs programme and reinforces its role in strengthening Nigeria’s athletics talent pipeline.

As more athletes progress through Team MTN to represent Nigeria at major regional, continental and global competitions, the initiative continues to play a significant role in producing future champions while contributing to the long-term growth of athletics in the country.