The Edo State Aquatic Association team of swimmers, at the weekend, emerged overall winners of the National U-18 Swimming Championship held at the Stephen Keshi Stadium Swimming Pool Complex, Asaba, organized by the Nigeria Aquatics Federation (NAF)
The victorious Edo swimmers finished 1st after a bumper harvest of 11 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze medals at the three-day event.
The hosts, Delta State finished second on the medals table with six Gold, nine Silver and four Bronze medals while Jimi Osinowo Swimming Club came third, with four Gold, two Silver and three Bronze medals.
High points of the closing ceremony included the presentation of trophies to Edo, Delta, and Osinowo Swimming Club, Lagos.
A total of seventy-eight medals were presented to various individual winners in the twenty-six swimming category events competed for in the National Junior Swimming Competition.
Meanwhile, a breakdown of the medals table revealed that a 15-year-old female athlete from Edo State, Agnes John, won six Gold medals, and 17-year-old Mabel Gillow of Bayelsa won two Gold medals.
Declaring the National U-18 Swimming Competition close, the President of the Nigeria Aquatics Federation, Mrs. Chinenye Dafe Aliyu expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the three-day event.
She said the competition was organized as part of preparations for the country’s participation in sub continental junior swimming competition slated to hold in Accra, Ghana this year as well as other international championships coming up in Egypt and Israel.
Aliyu was optimistic that the athletes selected from the National Junior Swimming Competition in Asaba will do the country proud.
While thanking the Delta State government, and the Chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa for their support, the NAF President noted the effective coverage provided for the competition by members of the Delta State Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, led by its chairman, Christian Eze.
She also lauded the level of officiating and the conduct of the coaches all throughout the competition.
She urged the junior swimmers at the competition to remain in the sports, saying that swimming as a specialized sport, provides an opportunity for them to pursue professional degree programs relating to sports including medics.
