2023 MTN Champs Discus Champion, Ruqqayah Mustapha has hinted that she has her eyes on representing Nigeria at the 2024 African Games in Ghana.
Ruqqayah Mustapha won gold medal at the 2023 West Africa University Games (WAUG) at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile Ife, Osun State.
Mustapha told www.aclsports.com that winning the WAUG has given her inspiration to break barriers in 2024.
The Human Kinetics student said, “It was a privilege to compete for the University of Ilorin in the Discus event and win a gold medal at the just finished WAUG. This is my prize for all of my sacrifices and hard work.
“My goals are to excel at home to earn a spot in the World Junior and African Games next year”.
She said missing the World University Games in China affected her on and off the pitch.
“I still find it hard missing the 2023 FISU World University Games in Chengdu, China, but I suppose that is one of the Nigerian aspects affecting one’s growth in sports. As a student-athlete, I occasionally wish I could attend classes part-time because it would make it easier to fit training between lectures, which are conflicting with one another.
“I realised that staying trapped in the past when I have the future ahead of me is not the right thing to do, and with my resilience and strong will, I believe the best is near”, she told www.aclsports.com
She added, “If only I had been more prepared for the disappointments and got more time to practise, it might have been a different outcome this season (2023). I was depressed, disorganised, and lost interest in competing, which affected my performance for a while.
Ruqqayah Mustapha threw a Personal Best (PB) of 42.33m in the Discus event at the 2023 AFN Golden league in Abuja.
Mustspha won gold at the 2023 African Junior Trials in Kaduna, gold at the MTN champs’ grand final in Abuja, placed first position at the 2023 AFN All-Comers in Kaduna and placed second position at the AFN Golden Leagues in Abuja, Benin and Uyo.
