Abdul Jabar Adama has etched his name in history by becoming the first Nigerian to win a medal at the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships in Romania.
Gatekeepers News reports that on Saturday evening, the 17-year-old swimmer clinched silver in the men’s 50m butterfly final at the Otopeni Aquatics Complex, finishing in 23.64 seconds.
The Nigerian swimmer came in just behind Dean Fearn of Great Britain, who secured gold with a time of 23.54 seconds.
Adama’s achievement is not only Nigeria’s first medal at the junior championships but also the country’s maiden podium finish in any global swimming event—junior or senior level.
In the build-up to the final, the young star twice lowered his own national record of 23.81 seconds, first clocking 23.61s in the preliminaries and then 23.48s in the semifinals.
Earlier this year, Adama bagged two gold medals at the 16th Africa Junior Swimming Championships in Cairo, excelling in the 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle.
