Plateau State athletes continued to sparkle on Day 3 of the ongoing 9th National Youth Games, recording a total of six medals, including the state’s first gold of the competition.
The highlight of the day came in Taekwondo, where the duo of Iverson Eric and Yeipyeng Chollom produced a brilliant display to clinch gold in the Pair Poomsae final against Team Abuja. The duo went further to add two bronze medals in the individual Poomsae demonstrations, bringing Taekwondo’s tally to three medals for the day. Their campaign for more medals is set to continue on Day 4.
In Cycling, Plateau’s Rejoice Danjuma impressed in the +40km road race, finishing second to win silver for the state.
Weightlifting also brought joy, as debutant Veirat Dachollom held her own in the 53kg category, winning silver in Snatch and bronze in Total, narrowly missing out on a higher placement.
Other sports saw mixed results:
- Hockey (Female): Plateau lost 0–2 to Bayelsa and 0–4 to Delta.
- Kokowa: Zanang Chioma progressed to the quarter-finals in the female 50kg class, while Stephen Vincent won two bouts in the male 55kg class, edging closer to the last eight.
- Golf: Plateau’s men lost 2–3 to Nasarawa in Match Play, while the women triumphed 3–2 over Lagos. In Eclectic, the men currently lead in 1st place while the women sit in 4th.
- Gymnastics: The team competed in the Men’s Artistic category, with results for the top eight still being compiled.
- Boxing: Mixed fortunes as Micah Monday narrowly lost 4–5 to FCT, while Elijah Micah recorded a dominant 5–0 knockout victory over Kaduna.
- Beach Volleyball: Plateau fell 0–2 to both Ogun and Rivers.
With momentum building, Team Plateau looks ahead to Day 4, where competitions in football, hockey, darts, kokowa, taekwondo, gymnastics, beach volleyball, boxing, and golf are expected to offer fresh medal opportunities.