At the recently concluded 2023 national youth games held in Asaba, delta state, Nigeria, team Bayelsa was represented by a diverse mix of athletes. The team Bayelsa participated in 33 out of 35 sports Athletics, Football, Volleyball, Gymnastics, Chess, Badminton, Handball, Cycling, Table Tennis, Swimming, Basketball, Scrabble, Weightlifting, Wrestling etc and many medals were won and records set. From the 33 competed games only 51.5% youth sports won medals and Bayelsa state came overall forth position on the medal table with 20 gold, 7 Silver and 16 Bronze. Females performance at the event was encouraging somewhat as they won 21 medal and narrowly equalized with their male counterparts with one medal more than the Female.
At the 2023 national youth games in Asaba, Delta State, several notable achievements were recorded by Team Bayelsa:
- In the 35kg weightlifting event, male athlete Steve Godwin clinched the first three Gold medals by defeating the athlete from Rivers State, while Adetemi Christiana Iyabo secured the bronze medal.
- In the male doubles category of table tennis, Victor Udoh and Fineboy Samuel earned the bronze medal by defeating the team from Edo.
- The swimming events were a standout for Team Bayelsa as they secured a total of 5 Gold medals. Goodluck Godwin, a male athlete, excelled in the 50m Backstroke, while Durotimi Babatunde, another male athlete, won Gold in the 50m Freestyle. Goodluck Godwin also achieved Gold in the 100m Backstroke. Olanna Onyejianye, a female swimmer, secured Gold in the 100m Backstroke. Additionally, Olanna Orolegianye won three Silver medals (50m Backstroke), Innocent David earned Silver (50m Backstroke), and Gift Obodo received Silver (50m Butterfly). Lastly, Gift Obodo, a female swimmer, and Goodluck Godwin won Bronze in the 4x50m mixed medley relay event. These remarkable performances highlighted the success of Team Bayelsa in the swimming competition.
- In Para Table Tennis, Master Moses Anointing secured the men’s single gold medal by defeating an athlete from Abia State.
- Abidde Flourish won the bronze medal in the Taekwondo -33kg event by defeating an athlete from Abuja.
- The Gymnastics event saw participants from 18 states, and Godwin Precious A, a female athlete from Bayelsa, excelled in powertumbling, earning a gold medal. Master Anthony Peremobowei also competed in powertumbling and secured the bronze medal.
- In the Darts event, specifically the 501 male doubles, Andrew Blessing and Saviour Ambrose clinched the gold medal. Felicia Idu earned the silver medal in the 301 dart game. Additionally, two bronze medals were awarded, one in the TDB mixed doubles won by Felicia Idu and Andrew Blessing, and another in the male category won by Andrew Blessing.
- The Scrabble competition featured notable achievements by Team Bayelsa. In the male doubles, Pereowei Edide and Shannon August secured the silver medal by defeating the Delta State team. Another silver medal was won by the male team, consisting of Pereowei Edide, Shannon August, and Tena Keniwariofa, who defeated the Edo State male team. These performances highlighted the success of Team Bayelsa in various events at the games.
- In Para Athletics (T46 100m), Ms. Uzezi Praise Peter secured a silver medal.
- Binakama TrustGod won a gold medal in the Kokowa event by defeating an athlete from Adamawa State.
- Wrestling was particularly successful, with the team earning two gold medals and one bronze. Undukakpo Andrew, a male wrestler in the 36kg freestyle category, and Magdaline Sunday, a female wrestler in the 42kg weight class, defeated their counterparts from Delta State to secure gold medals. Emmanuel Okike, a male wrestler in the 44kg freestyle category, earned the bronze by conquering a wrestler from Ondo State.
- The Bayelsa State Basketball female team achieved a bronze medal by defeating the team from Rivers State.
- The Bayelsa Chess team excelled with five gold and one bronze medal. Athletes like Sunshine Ebiakpo and Deborah Quickpen made significant contributions by defeating the team from Oyo.
- In Deaf Athletics, Clever Evovo secured a bronze medal in the 200m boys’ race.
- Precious Kemeladei, a male athlete, earned a bronze medal in the 50kg karate event by defeating an athlete from Delta State.
- The Beach Volleyball male team secured a bronze medal by defeating the team from Oyo State.
- A gold medal was earned by the Softball team in the team sport category after defeating the team from Lagos State. These outstanding achievements showcased the diverse talents of Team Bayelsa at the games.
