This archive report was first published on 23 August 2021.
On August 21, 2021, Nigerian athletes made history at the Moi International Sports Complex in Nairobi, Kenya, during the World Athletics Under-20 Championships.
Minister of the Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, announced cash rewards for the athletes who excelled in the competition. According to Dare, the athletes would receive $5,000 for a gold medal, $3,000 for a silver medal, and $2,000 for a bronze medal.
The cash rewards were a fulfillment of the minister's pledge to handsomely reward athletes who performed well at the championships. At the end of Day 4, Nigeria had won three gold and two bronze medals, moving them to third place on the medals table behind hosts Kenya and Finland.
Nigeria's 4x400m mixed relay team started the gold rush, followed by Imaobong Uko and Udodi Onwuzurike's dominant wins in the women's 400m and men's 200m events, respectively. Favour Ofili and Chinacherem Nnamdi also won bronze medals in the women's 200m and men's javelin events.
