Invited Junior Athletes Make Historic Debut at Gateway Games with Four Medals in Three Days
ABEOKUTA, Nigeria – May 20, 2025 | IDNN
In just three days of action at the Gateway Games 2025, the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) have shaken up the medal standings—and Nigeria’s sporting future.
Making their first-ever appearance at the National Sports Festival, the IJA contingent—introduced as the symbolic 38th state—has already claimed four medals: two gold, one silver, and one bronze, stunning established competitors and raising eyebrows across the national sports circuit.
Amarachi Chijioke & Scholastical Tekumbur Lead the Charge
The medal haul came from the women’s 45kg weightlifting event, where Amarachi Chijioke and Scholastical Tekumbur turned the stage into their statement piece.
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Chijioke claimed two gold medals with a powerful 82kg lift in the clean and jerk, making her the category’s breakout star.
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Tekumbur secured a bronze medal in the same lift and contributed significantly to the IJA’s early reputation as a force for the future.
Their performance not only denied elite competitors key podium finishes, but also added legitimacy to the IJA program’s goals of developing a pipeline for Olympic-ready athletes.
NSC’s Bold Gamble Pays Off
The National Sports Commission (NSC), led by Director General Hon. Bukola Olopade, introduced the IJA initiative to bridge the gap between grassroots and elite sports, a systemic transition that has long hindered Nigeria’s athletic development.
“Ninety percent of these kids were youth champions. The ones who’ve won medals are now elevated to elite status and qualify for grants to prepare for the Olympics and Commonwealth Games,” said Olopade.
“This wasn’t even about medals—it was meant to be exposure. But these young athletes are proving they belong on the big stage.”
From Experiment to Benchmark
Thirty-eight junior athletes were selected across multiple sports to represent the IJA, with many drawn from National Youth Games performances. Their explosive debut now serves as a potential model for national talent transition, with stakeholders already calling for institutional backing to sustain the initiative.
As the Games progress, the IJA story is quickly becoming one of the most compelling narratives of NSF 2025.
