Teen gymnast, Onusiriuka, bags elite athletes’ status

Teenage gymnastics star, Stephanie Ogechukwu Onusiriuka, has been put in the list of Nigeria’s elite athletes who have the potential to win medals for the country at the 2028 Olympics. This was made known by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Malam Shehu Dikko, when he hosted the young gymnast and her mother […]

Teenage gymnastics star, Stephanie Ogechukwu Onusiriuka, has been put in the list of Nigeria’s elite athletes who have the potential to win medals for the country at the 2028 Olympics.

This was made known by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Malam Shehu Dikko, when he hosted the young gymnast and her mother at his office in Abuja.

He said the decision to put Stephanie in the list of elite athletes was taken to protect her from other countries that are trying to poach her.

Dikko said: “She will be part of our elite plans and preparations. Even if she is going abroad, she will be there on our own support and sponsorship. We will foot her bills. By 2026, she will be 16, so she will feature in the Commonwealth Games. In 2028, she can be a major medal prospect at the Olympics.

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“Whatever we do for the likes of Ese Brume, we will do for her. We will also get someone to adopt her in line with our Adopt-an-athlete program so the private sector will compliment whatever we do as Government. From our perspective, from now, she is part of our elite group.”

Onusiriuka, labeled as Nigeria’s Simone Biles won 1 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze at the National Sports Festival, Edo 2021 aged just 11.

She also emerged the best gymnast at the National Youth Games, Delta 2023.