Cadet high jumper Chibuike Moses Ogidi who has been a delight to watch at the 2025 MTN CHAMPS schools’ athletics competition, is looking forward to improving on his performance as he dreams of establishing a national dominance.
The 12-years-old Ogidi at the Benin MTN CHAMPS cleared the height of 1.60m and according to him at the Uyo final he is training hard not just to dominate but to improve on his personal best.
“I am training really hard for the final in Uyo I want to make improvement not just for win there but to make a mark that will help me compete with the very best in the country,” said Ogidi who came into limelight at the age of nine.
His coach Johnny Igboka said youthful Ogidi has huge potentials, and he is very committed and dedicated to his training regime.
“I see him making it to the very top within a short time. He is working very hard in training, for now we are working on his run ups and other techniques that will give him an edge.
“He is every eager to start competing with the senior athletes, because he doesn’t get the kind of push from his peers in the cadet category.”
Also, Orahachi Ayuba is another athlete who is aiming to dominate at the finals in Uyo. With a personal best of 1.63m, the 15-year-old jumper said she wants to come out tops not just at MTN CHAMPS, but also at the National Sports Festival next month.
“I have been doing better jumps in training and I want to do the same at the competition. After Uyo, my target will be the Gateway Games,” said Ayuba who competes in the junior category.
Meanwhile the Uyo MTN CHAMPS final has been pushed forward to May 6-9. According to the organisers, this is as a mark of honour for MTN founding chairman Pascal Dozie who passed on April 8, 2025.
The event was earlier scheduled for April 30-May3 at the at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
As of today, 1,737 athletes have registered for the competition, accounting for an impressive 4,636 event entries comprising 321 Cadets (U-14), 596 Youth (U-17), 423 Juniors (U-20) and 397 Seniors (no age limit).
