Nigeria’s U-18 Women’s handball national team, on Saturday, emerged winner of the IHF Women’s Trophy Africa Zone 3 after dismantling West African neighbours Benin Republic 42-17 in the final of the 2023 championship.

The tournament began on April 11 at the Tennis Arena of the Accra Sports Stadium, Ghana, and ended with the Nigerian ladies finishing the competition with a 100 percent record after winning all of their four matches.

Nigeria started their campaign in the tournament with a resounding 61-16 victory over Liberia before picking up a 49-29 win against host Ghana, while overpowering Ivory Coast 38-22 in the semifinal on Friday.

It was an easy ride for Nigerian ladies in the final yesterday as they completely dominated their Beninese counterparts with a 25-goal margin scoreline to seal their scintillating outings in the tournament and thus clinch the regional title.

The country has now qualified for the IHF Women’s Trophy Continental Phase which is expected to take place in a yet-to-be announced host nation in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Esther Matthew was voted the Most Valuable Player of the championship while goalkeeper, Precious Samuel, who was the star of the semifinal match against Ivory Coast, was named the Best Goalkeeper of the competition by the organisers.

Speaking after the victory, President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) Samuel Ocheho, who doubles as the head of IHF Africa Zone 3, said the country’s investment in handball is already yielding results and also vowed the federation will do more.

“I am super excited that the programmes of the HFN to discover players through our underage competition are yielding dividends. This is a testament to the successes of our programmes and we will continue to ensure that we continue to develop the game and its continued growth,” Ocheho said.