Team Edo continued to add medals to what already bagged with some wonderful performances in events across Day 5 of the ongoing National Sports Festival with gold, silver, and bronze medals in track and field, aquatic, Para Table Tennis as well as in Canoeing and others.

Judith Usifoh has claimed gold for Team Edo in Taekwondo women’s Welterweight category.

Prosper Alegu won bronze in the Fin weight men’s category same as Sanni Zaimat in the women’s category.

In the Deaf Athletics, 2 males and 2 females have made it to the 200m semi-finals slated for Tuesday, December 6.

Ochonogor Prior claimed gold in men’s 400m hurdles ahead of Team Oyo and Bayelsa who won silver and bronze respectively.

In Para-powerlifting, Team Edo continued racking up medals to increase their tally. Hyacinth Nnaji won Gold and Silver in the men’s 72kg Male category. Team Edo also win 2 silver in the +107kg men’s category.

Abel Oluseyi Shedrack won bronze for Team Edo in Squash men’s singles.

The team went on to nick has gold and silver in the Deaf Athletics 100m women’s event courtesy of Assurance Omoria and Chinonso NNAJI respectively.

In the men’s category, the team also won one gold and bronze through Nathaniel Okpaise Jnr and Reuben Eniyome respectively.

In the Canoeing/Kayak, Bolorunfe Smart paddled 01:05.71 in time to clinch bronze for team Edo in the 200m VL3 men’s category. Bello Bright Tamara and Ukpankere Kenneth paced at 46:38 to take home Bronze in the 200m K2 men’s category.

Beauty Yabo meanwhile put a smile on the Kayak contingent with 01:15:39 fastest to hit gold in the 200m VL3 women’s category; she also tried making it count in the 200m KL3 women’s category, but her 01:02.58 time could only earn her a bronze.

In the men’s singles Class 6 category, Adedeji Jelili won bronze for Team Edo.

In class 9&10 men’s doubles, Eghosa Osaigbovo and Ganiyu Taliat Bamide won bronze while Tomide and Chinedu also won bronze in Class 1-3 men’s doubles.r

The Team also won Bronze in the men’s cycling elimination race.

Team Edo continued to dominate in Para Table Tennis with some medals taken home on day 5 of the festival. Osariemen Beauty in the Class 4 women’s singles nicked gold after seeing off her Lagos counterpart.

Eikhenan Ebeghale and Blessing Aiwekho Together won silver in the women’s team event Class 1-3. The Team also claimed the bronze medal in team event Class 4-5 with the likes of Ogu Chinedu, Olowe Tomide, and David Omoragbo all picking themselves out of the semi-finals disappointed to pick this.

Mabilo Nicholas once again added bronze to his collection and the state’s medals haul after coming third in the men’s 100m contest.

Team Edo will continue to rack in more medals with another strong hood, Gymnastics starting on Tuesday. With medals still expected from Boxing, Wrestling, Kokowa, and weightlifting, Team Edo will go into the last days with confidence to better what they have put up so far.

Towards the closing hour of day 5, Team Edo’s Aruya Hope added a bronze medal from the High Jump women’s category just as Tina Samson won Silver in the Women’s Heptathlon category.

Meanwhile, Chairman Edo state sports commission chairman, Yussuf Alli has heaped praise on the state’s athletes stating that the Edo State contingents at the ongoing National Sports Festival are not desperate for the top spot like some other states.

“For us, in Edo state, we are not ready to cut corners but Our Athletes are ready to compete with others and you know that Edo state is always the state to beat at the festival.

“Poaching is not the best for development, for we in Edo State state, our vision as a Government is to produce ten thousand Athletes in the next few years, let other states come and poach our Athletes, but when you take them out, these Athletes would come back to the state and invest back home,”

“One of the first things we have done at the State Sports Commission is that every school in Edo state now has sports in the School Curriculum. I must thank the Governor of the state, H.E Godwin Obaseki, and his Supportive deputy Phillip Shaibu for supporting our vision, and I can tell you in a few years this vision would Yield good results and Edo would be the state give out Athletes to other states.”

When every other athletes and official in this festival were fast asleep, Benjamin Okuomose claimed a Gold medal in Taekwondo for Team Edo – at 11:08 pm.

Just when we thought it was over for the day, Chidinma Faith added the second at the 11th hour – 11:15 pm of Day 5 of the festival