Praise Ugoh wins Nigeria’s first Youth Olympic 400m gold in Dakar

Praise Ugoh won the girls’ 400m at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, on Monday, becoming the first Nigerian to win the event at the Games.

She ran a personal best of 52.76 seconds, finishing ahead of Venezuela’s Osmary Pacheco in 52.85 and Aisha Muhammed of the United Arab Emirates in 53.06.

The win is Nigeria’s third gold in Dakar, all of them on the track, after Rosemary Nwankwo and Gift Bright won the 100m titles on Sunday. It lifted Nigeria to 11th on the medal table, with three golds and no silver or bronze, Premium Times reported.

China led the table with 13 golds, ahead of Japan with nine, according to the same standings.

Other Nigerians missed out on medals on Monday. Rita Chisom Ezeh finished seventh in her 400m hurdles semi-final in 1:01.66, and Obanla Ehuwa was eighth in the boys’ high jump final with a personal best of 1.97m.

The Dakar Games, the first Youth Olympics held in Africa, began on 31 October.

Athletics resumes at Stade Iba Mar Diop on Tuesday, ACL Sports reported, and the Games close on 13 November.

Sources: Premium Times; ACL Sports