The MTN CHAMPS initiative continues to reinforce its reputation as one of Nigeria’s foremost platforms for discovering and developing world-class athletics talent, with 17 Team MTN athletes set to compete at the National Athletics Trials taking place at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, from 20–22 June 2026
The trials, which serve as the official qualification championship for Nigeria’s senior national teams, present yet another opportunity for athletes nurtured through the MTN CHAMPS pipeline to stake their claim on the international stage. Leading the Team MTN charge is MTN CHAMPS Ambassador, Emmanuel Ojeli, alongside Ezekiel Asuquo and Toheebat Jimoh. Both are fresh from their gold-medal-winning exploits with Team Nigeria at the 24th African Senior Athletics Championships in Accra, Ghana.
The full Team MTN contingent is categorised as follows: in the Women’s 100m & 200m, Lucy Nwankwo, Azeezat Raji-Muhammed and Mercy Ogbonna will be in action; the Women’s 400m features Toheebat Jimoh, Miracle Uwem Donald and Patience Joseph. In the Men’s 100m & 200m, Showers Ushie, Kabiru Mohammed, Emmanuel Akolo, Alvin Onyeama and Emmanuel Oyewale will fly the Team MTN flag. Finally, the Men’s 400m line-up includes Emmanuel Ojeli (MTN CHAMPS Ambassador), Ezekiel Asuquo, Benjamin Magaji, Stephen Adejumo, Michael Aniche and Prosper Ushie.
The athletes are fresh off a remarkable outing during the MTN CHAMPS Season 4. In the CHAMPS tournament, Team MTN (the MoC Athletics Academy athletes) won a total of 25 Gold medals across the three locations – 6 in Calabar, 12 in Jos, and 7 at the Ibadan Grand Final. In total, the team secured 63 medals (25 Gold, 25 Silver, and 13 Bronze) throughout the entire Season 4.
Ezekiel Asuquo clocked an impressive 47.49 seconds to win Gold in the Junior Men’s 400m before adding another Gold in the 200m with a time of 21.39 seconds, while Toheebat Jimoh has continued her rise with decisive roles in Nigeria’s Mixed 4x400m and Women’s 4x400m successes in Accra.
Their performances, alongside those of their teammates, points to the effectiveness of the MTN CHAMPS project in creating a sustainable pathway from grassroots discovery to international excellence. What began as a platform to identify raw talent across Nigeria is producing athletes capable of competing and excelling on the continental and global stage.
Reflecting on the scale of the program, Onyinye noted: “Since inception, more than 22,000 athletes, and over 1,300 schools from across Nigeria have competed at MTN CHAMPS.” She has also celebrated the tangible results of this initiative, pointing out that dozens of exceptional talents have been discovered and absorbed into the MoC Athletics Academy, going on to win multiple national and international medals.
As Team MTN’s 17 athletes line up at the National Athletics Trials in Lagos, their participation underlines the strength of the pipeline MTN CHAMPS has built. The future of Nigerian athletics is bright, and Team MTN remains firmly at the heart of that journey.
