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Gateway Games 2024: Enugu celebrates as Ugonna smashes F44 Discus record, unlocks State incentives

Chukwuebuka Orji wins team Enugu first gold at the 2024 Gateway Games in the para-athletics 400m, as the state boosts medal count.

Enugu State para-athlete Emmanuel Ugonna has won the state’s first gold medal at the ongoing National Sports Festival, Gateway Games 2024, with a record-breaking performance in the F44 men’s discus throw.

Ugonna’s throw of 51.35 metres set a new benchmark in the classification, securing not only gold but Enugu’s best result at the festival to date. The state had previously won only three bronze medals at the 2023 edition held in Asaba.

His success qualifies him for a new reward scheme introduced by the Enugu State Ministry of Youth and Sports. Speaking to Athletic NG ahead of the festival, the Ministry’s Director of Organising, Mr Boniface Onovo, disclosed that:

“This time around, we’ve introduced the Honourable Commissioner’s instant bonus: ₦100,000 per gold medal, paid immediately.”

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Further benefits await medal-winning athletes. In a separate interview granted before the start of the Games, Comrade Ephraim Ochonma, Director of Coaching at the Ministry, said medalists are also eligible for civil service employment under the state’s long-term athlete development plan.

“Once you win a medal for Enugu State, you’re employed by the state government, you continue to compete for the state and may also transition into coaching” Ochonma told Athletic NG and Prime Sports Radio Enugu.

Ugonna becomes the first Enugu athlete to benefit from both initiatives.

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Meanwhile, the Enugu women’s football team continues to struggle, having lost all three of their group matches — 0–3 to Delta, 1–2 to Lagos, and 0–1 to Flamingos. Their final fixture pits them against Abia.

The state’s improved showing arrives at a significant moment as Enugu prepares to host the National Sports Festival for the first time in 2026. It will mark the event’s debut in the South East region since its inception in 1973.

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