By Sharon Ekhiwere
Making of Champions (MoC) has officially unveiled 10 new athletes into the MoC Athletics Academy following their standout performances at MTN CHAMPS Season 3, adding to the 20 athletes who were recruited from Seasons 1 and 2 in 2025 to significantly strengthen Nigeria’s Olympic development pipeline through 2028.
The announcement was made on February 11 at the MTN Plaza in Ikoyi, Lagos, immediately following the confirmation of MTN’s landmark three-year extension of MTN CHAMPS through the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
With the addition of these 10 athletes, MoC Academy’s roster has now swelled to 30 athletes — the largest squad since the Academy’s founding in 2016. MTN has now confirmed that it will sponsor 20 athletes in the Academy for the next three years through to LA 2028.
The Top 10 comprising the 2025 MoC Academy intake are (including States of Origin):
Victory Aganya (Delta State) Events: 200m, 400m, 800m PBs: 200m (26.42s), 400m (58.29s), 800m (2:19.84) Aganya capped Season 3 with 400m GOLD at the MTN CHAMPS Grand Final in Uyo, building on earlier 400m Silver in Lagos and a 400m/800m double GOLD in Season 2 in Asaba.
Emmanuel Akolo (Kogi State) Events: 100m, 200m
PBs: 100m (10.76s), 200m (21.71s) Akolo represented Nigeria at both the African School Games in Algeria (Medley Relay Silver) and the African Youth Games in Angola (4x100m Gold & 100m Silver) after winning 100m Silver and 200m Bronze at the MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays in Lagos.
Michael Aniche (Abia State) Events: 200m, 400m PBs: 200m (23.46s), 400m (50.62s) Aniche claimed a commanding 200m/400m double GOLD at the MTN CHAMPS Season 2 Grand Final in Calabar after earlier 400m victories in Seasons 1 and 2.
Rebecca Enilolobo (Ogun State) Events: 100m, 200m PBs: 100m (12.07s), 200m (24.77s) Enilolobo secured Medley Relay GOLD for Nigeria at the African School Games in Algeria after 200m Silver in Lagos and double sprint Bronze at the Uyo Grand Final.
Chidimma Esomonu (Imo State) Events: 400m, 200m PBs: 400m (58.71s), 200m (27.14s) Esomonu reached the 400m finals at both the MTN CHAMPS Grand Final in Uyo and the 2024 National Youth Games, highlighting her rapid development in the quarter-mile.
Abdulfatah Oduwole (Ogun State) Events: 100m, 200m PBs: 100m (11.18s), 200m (23.36s) Oduwole was a double sprint finalist at both Lagos and Uyo, earning Academy selection through steady improvement and competitive resilience.
Nneoma Okonkwo (Enugu State) Events: 100m, 200m PBs: 100m (13.11s), 200m (26.52s) Okonkwo dominated the Lagos leg of Season 3 with double sprint GOLD before stepping onto the podium again with 200m Bronze at the Uyo Grand Final.
Mighty Otunola (Kwara State) Events: 100m, 200m PBs: 100m (11.52s), 200m (22.89s) Otunola stormed to 200m GOLD and 100m Bronze in Lagos, marking himself as one of the fastest youth sprinters of the season.
Destiny Reuben (Rivers State) Events: 100m, 200m PBs: 100m (11.11s), 200m (22.80s) Reuben claimed 200m GOLD in Benin and double Silver at the Uyo Grand Final, emerging as one of the most fearless sprint competitors of Season 3.
Kehinde Seriki (Ogun State) Events: 100m, 200m PBs: 100m (11.24s), 200m (22.69s) Seriki secured 100m GOLD and 200m Silver in Benin before adding 200m Bronze in Uyo, cementing his place among the season’s top sprint talents.⸻ A Breakthrough Year for the Academy — And the Future Is Here.
In 2025 alone, the 20 Team MTN athletes at MoC Academy secured 10 international, 14 national, and 38 MTN CHAMPS medals as well as two Junior (U20) team trophies — all within one year of entering a structured and focused high-performance development environment, demonstrating the early return on investment in long-term talent development.
Beacon Power Services (BPS) is returning as a MoC Academy sponsor, with two athletes — Rebecca Enilolobo and Destiny Reuben — joining its scholarship roster through 2028 to complete their senior secondary school education while preparing for the 2028 World Under-20 Championships.
With MTN reaffirming its commitment to sponsor 20 MoC Academy athletes through to LA 2028, the remaining eight athletes are now well-positioned to also receive student-athlete sponsorships as the Academy expands its structured Olympic preparation model.
MoC Founder and CEO, Bambo Akani, described the induction as a defining moment:
“This marks a powerful evolution for MTN CHAMPS and for the MoC Academy. The first three seasons were about discovering talent across Nigeria. The next phase is about deliberate development toward the Olympic Games.
“This is an absolutely monumental and historic commitment by MTN. Never before in Nigerian athletics have athletes across all age groups had the certainty of a multi-year runway to prepare for national, continental and global competitions through to an Olympic Games.
“We are witnessing the beginning of a transformation. MTN has led boldly by confirming sponsorship of 20 athletes through LA 2028. Beacon Power Services has followed up with two scholarship athletes. This is a rally call for all brands across Corporate Nigeria to join this movement as we build Olympic relay contenders, as well as individual finalists and medalists for LA 2028, Brisbane 2032, and beyond.”
From Grassroots to Global
Since launching in 2023, MTN CHAMPS has attracted over 22,000 athletes from 1,300 schools across eight Nigerian cities, making it the most comprehensive secondary school athletics talent search platform in the country.
The structured pathway now spans nationwide school discovery, academy-based high-performance development, international exposure, and Olympic-cycle preparation through 2028. With 30 athletes now training under one structured development system — the largest in the Academy’s history — Nigeria’s sprint and quarter-mile ecosystem has entered a new era of scale, structure and ambition.
As MTN CHAMPS Season 4 approaches, the newly inducted athletes will join Team MTN, Team BPS and Team MoC athletes in competition across Calabar, Jos and Ibadan — with eyes firmly set on the 2026 World Relays, African Championships, Commonwealth Games, World U20 Championships, Youth Olympics, and ultimately the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
Nigeria’s next sprint generation has officially arrived.