6th Nigeria Youth Games: Ondo Judokas Steal The Show

IKPO IGBINOBA 

Ondo State made a powerful judo statement at the just concluded 6th Nigeria Youth Games.

The South West state topped the judo medal table with two gold medals and a bronze medal.

And with this victory coming barely three months after winning the Oshodi Foundation National Open Senior Judo Championship held in Ibadan in July, Ondo has confirmed her position as the number one judo state in the country.

Head coach, Toyin Ojo who’s gradually carving a niche for himself as one of the best coaches in the country revealed the secret to his teams’ successes.

He said “The only way to success is hard work and that is our philosophy in Ondo State”.

Ojo who took the Nigeria judo team to the Africa Youth Games in Algeria in 2018 praised his wards for their performance.

The judokas who stole the show for the state are Uche Asonye who nicked gold in the 36 kg category for boys, Helen Babalola who won gold in the 44 kg category for girls and Chukwuma Aliagwu who got bronze in the 42 kg  category for boys.

Delta State finished second on the table with one gold and two bronze while Ogun placed third with one gold.

Edo, FCT, Kano and Lagos got a silver each while Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa,  Cross River and Niger got a bronze each to have a presence on the medals table.

Of the 26 states that registered for judo, only 12 got medals.

A total of 69 judokas  made up of 36 boys and 33 girls participated in the judo event.