Nigeria capped off a successful outing at the 13th edition of the African Games in Accra, Ghana, with a silver medal in the women’s team tennis event, losing 2-0 to Egypt at the Borteyman sports complex on Saturday, March 23, the final day of the event.
The West African powerhouse finished in second place in the overall medal standings for the seventh time and the third consecutive edition of the Games, having done so in Rabat in 2019 and in Congo Brazzaville in 2015.
Nigeria finished behind Egypt with a total of 121 medals—47 gold medals, 34 silver medals, and 40 bronze medals—ten less than they did in Rabat. However, they won one more gold medal this time around that in 2019.
The Egyptians, the overall winners, managed a whopping 101 gold medals, 46 silver medals, and 42 bronze medals, for a mammoth 189 medals in total, to claim their eighth first-place finish since the Games began in 1965.
In third place is South Africa, who were 14 medals short of Nigeria. The South African team garnered 104 medals in total: 32 gold medals, 32 silver medals, and 42 bronze medals. They clinched the last podium spot to finish third for the fourth time at the Games.
Hosts Ghana finished sixth in the overall standings with a total of 68 medals: 19 gold, 29 silver, and 20 bronze medals. Cameroon were 17th with 30 medals, while Algeria, who were third in the last edition, finished fourth with 114 total medals (29 gold, 38 silver, and 47 bronze).
Nigeria’s hunt for a first-place finish at the African Games continues, with the continent’s most populous nation previously enjoying just one win in 2003 in Abuja.
However, team Nigeria can take solace from their incredible performances at the Games, with many of its top athletes, like Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, retaining their titles across their different events.
Nigeria also won eight gold medals in one day in boxing, as well as three gold medals in the 4x100m (men and women), 4x400m mixed relay, and the 4x400m women’s event, while Chidi Okezie made history as the first Nigerian to win gold in the men’s 400m event in 37 years, to cap off a historic performance in the athletics event in which they won 22 total medals, including 11 gold medals, to clinch their 11th win in 13 editions of the African Games.
Here are the final medal standings in athletics at the African Games in Ghana!
Nigeria ???????? dominated this one, our 11th win in 13 editions of the sport at the African Games.#AfricanGames2023 #Accra2023 pic.twitter.com/MxImgbXacL
— Making of Champions (@MakingOfChamps) March 23, 2024
The Golden Arrows, the nation’s men’s handball team, also made history as their bronze medal win marked their first podium finish in 21 years, while the women’s football team and 3×3 basketball team relinquished their titles as they settled for the silver medals in the respective events.
The African Games will move to North Africa for their next edition, which is slated to take place in Cairo, Egypt, in 2027.
