Team Nigeria on Friday in Abuja won a total of five medals in the day one of the ongoing 2025 African Karate Championship at the velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that in the cadet category of team kata and kumite, Team Nigeria won one gold, two silver, two bronze medals to finish second in the rank table of day one.
Kingsley Onuelu, the head coach of the cadet and junior national karate team, said Team Nigeria had a good record in day one of the competition.
“Our target was to do our best and break the record. We’re winning medals we don’t usually win in junior and cadet levels.
“We won one gold, two silver, and a couple of bronze medals. We started camping in April, putting the athletes together in the camp. Long-term camping helped us achieve this record,” he said.
Jennifer Ehiozibue, in the cadet kumite -61kg category who won gold, said it was her first time competing in a big event, adding that she was determined to win her game.
“It’s a learning experience for me to compete in this competition. This is my first experience, meeting athletes from all over Africa.
” I’m learning from them, and I’m so excited to have won. “I came with the mindset to win, but hearing about meeting the Egyptian athlete, I was scared.
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“But I knew I was going to win because, as my coach told me, everybody is beatable,” she said
NAN reports that Egypt finished in first position with eight Good, one silver, and three bronze medals.
Nigeria finished is second with one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals.
Senegal, Morocco, and Nigeria are tied in third position with one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal each.
Algeria finished fourth with one gold medal. Cameroon is fifth with three silver and four bronze medals. South Africa finished sixth with one silver and three bronze medals.
Kenya finished seventh with one silver and two bronze medals, while Guinea finished eighth with one silver and one bronze medal.
NAN reports that Nigeria is fielding 60 athletes, many of whom are African champions and Commonwealth Games medallists.
A total of 31 countries are participating in the ongoing 2025 African Karate Championship, which started on Monday and is expected to end on Sunday.
