Cameroon's Monie upsets Nigerian favourites for Discus gold at Islamic Solidarity Games

Cameroon's Nora Atim Monie delivered a stunning performance to claim the women's discus throw gold on the opening day of athletics at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The event at Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Stadium on Monday was widely expected to be dominated by Nigerian duo Obiageri Amaechi and African record holder Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons. However, Monie, who set a new national record of 61.33m in July, had other plans.

Monie unleashed a powerful 57.04m throw in her fifth attempt, surpassing Amaechi's earlier mark of 55.97m from the second round. Amaechi fought back with a 56.99m effort in the same round but could not regain the top spot, ultimately settling for the silver medal.

It was a day of disappointment for Onyekwere, who failed to secure a place on the podium. Her best throw of 55.08m was not enough to overtake Turkey’s Ozlem Becerek, who had set a benchmark of 55.56m in the first round to win bronze.

Nigeria's fortunes did not improve on the track. In the men's 100m final, Caleb Temidara John was unable to finish the race after qualifying from the semifinals with a time of 10.42s. His teammate, James Taiwo Emmanuel, was eliminated in the semifinals, finishing sixth in his heat with a time of 10.52s.

These results contributed to a challenging day for Team Nigeria, which added only a single silver medal to its tally. Consequently, Nigeria has slipped to eighth on the overall medal table, level with Morocco on 16 total medals (six gold, six silver, and four bronze).

Turkey currently dominates the standings with 70 medals, including 21 golds. Iran, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco also rank ahead of Nigeria, marking a concerning slide for the West African nation.