Nigerian handball team meets Mali as Sambo stars set for action

Nigeria will meet Mali in their second game of the handball event at the ongoing African Games in Ghana…today.

Team Nigeria’s men’s handball side, which defeated Togo on Wednesday in their opening game of the event at the ongoing African Games in Ghana, will meet their Malian counterparts in their second game of the competition.

Nigeria had a comfortable 38-19 victory over Togo and needs another win to earn a semifinal ticket. Coach Rafiu Salami’s men hope to defeat the Malians, who lost 49-16 to African champions, Egypt, in their opening game.

Meanwhile, Team Nigeria’s Sambo stars are eager to join the fray at the ongoing championships, where their sport is debuting as a demonstration game.

The Nigerianteamof two men and two women will begin their campaign on March 18.The athletes in the squad, Jonah Kajido (79kg), James Chegwam (58kg), Fatima Ogbonyomi(65kg) and Charity Jatau (59kg), are billed to face challengers from Algeria, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic (CAR), Cameroon, Congo DR, Egypt, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Niger Republic, Togo and hosts, Ghana. Speaking on his expectations at the Games, Kajido, said he is primed for the gold medal.

“My expectation in Ghana is nothing but just the gold. In terms of the challenges, I do not doubt the management of the Sambo Association of Nigeria (SAN), as well as the technical director and also the coaches,who haveprepared us for the challenge in Ghana. I am positive that we will bring back the gold medals in all our events,” he said.

Like Kajido, Ogbonyomi believes she is set for the top in Ghana. “I want to see myself on the podium,with my gold medal hanging round my neck,” she said.

SAN President, Loveth Howell, said the contingent is poised to make the country proud. She