The Forge of Legends — Volume 2
By: Oluwafemi Eniola & Chinaza Atune
Forge /fɔ:dʒ/ verb (1): to bring into being, especially by an expenditure of effort
Forge /fɔ:dʒ/ verb (2): to move with a sudden increase of speed and power
First, there was football, the opening act.
But you didn’t really think that was all, did you?
What you saw in Volume One was just the spark.
Now, welcome to the wildfire.
Because while boots clashed and chants roared on the pitch, a hundred other battles raged across campus. Quieter, yes, but no less brutal. There were racquets swung, pawns sacrificed, wrists snapped over ludo boards, and lungs tested to their limits on the tracks.
This is where strategies unfolded, comebacks were born, and champions rose from the most unexpected corners.
Volume Two isn’t a recap.
It’s a reckoning.
Ready or not, here comes the rest of the legend.
As mentioned in Volume One, this year’s theme was The Forge of Legends and legend we did witness, far beyond just the football pitch. With nine departments, fourteen sports, and one coveted trophy, the question lingered: who would rise as the true legends of COMPSSA?
Lest we forget, this year's edition started on an unusual note. The date was officially slated for June 14, 2025, but on that very day, the rain decided to spell out “cats and dogs.” A phenomenon you’d only understand if you witnessed it yourself. By 5 am, the rain went “Mic! Mic! Testing” and then began its show, continuing till 3 pm. Thankfully, it was merciful. The forecast had predicted it would last until 10 pm.
Prior to this, live draws had taken place on May 24, 2025, to determine the match schedule for each game, that is, who plays against whom, for both male and female categories. Unofficially, the sports festival kicked off the next day, June 15, 2025, with the opening ceremony. This was followed by cheerleading performances from various departments, two female volleyball matches, one male volleyball match, a basketball match and then the Provost’s speech to round off the day.
For volleyball, football, and basketball, matches were divided into two categories. The male category used a group stage format, while the female category followed a knockout format. The male group stage involved three groups: Group A, B, and C, determined during the live draw. The female categories went straight into knockout rounds, with one team in each sport automatically qualifying for the quarterfinals as winners of the previous edition. MBBS were automatic qualifiers for basketball, MLS for football, and Physiotherapy for volleyball.
FEMALE VOLLEYBALL
Female volleyball kicked off on the second day of the festival. After the knockout rounds, six teams advanced to the quarterfinals: MLS, Nursing, Physiology, and Pharmacology, the winners from the knockout stage, alongside MBBS, who qualified as best losers, and Physiotherapy (automatic qualifiers).
In the quarterfinals:
MBBS defeated Physiology
Pharmacy won against Nursing
MLS beat Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy defeated Physiology
In the semi-finals, MBBS faced Pharmacy, while MLS played against Physiotherapy. MBBS, the team that had barely scraped into the quarterfinals, advanced to the finals alongside MLS, who edged past Physiotherapy.
It’s worth noting that this was the first time the COMPSSA Sports Festival featured a separate female volleyball competition. In previous editions, volleyball had always been a mixed-gender sport. This change marked a significant step forward in representation and opportunity.
In the final showdown, the MBBS girls mounted a fierce remontada attempt, but MLS held their ground to claim the female volleyball trophy. For the third-place match, Pharmacy defeated Physiotherapy, a team once feared in the mixed tournaments, now reduced to asking, “How do we win?” I’d say: they forgot.
MALE VOLLEYBALL
The male volleyball tournament was divided into three groups:
Group A: MBBS, Nursing, and Pharmacology
Group B: Radiography, Physiotherapy, and Physiology
Group C: Pharmacy, MLS, and Dentistry
MBBS, Radiography, and Pharmacy topped their groups and advanced to the semifinals, alongside Nursing who qualified as best losers.
In the semifinals, Nursing won against Pharmacy while MBBS defeated Radiography. In the third-place match, Radiography conceded points and lost to Pharmacy. If we ever thought Radiography boys were any better than their female counterparts, they proved us wrong. Now, they’ve both got matching L’s as tattoos.
The finals were between MBBS and Nursing. Unlike their female counterparts, the MBBS boys did pull off a remontada and took the gold with full force.
On the matter of volleyball, we witnessed an electrifying alumni volleyball match on the 22nd of June, a clash of generations that reminded everyone that skill doesn’t fade, it evolves.
FEMALE BASKETBALL
Female basketball also began on day two of the festival. MLS, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Pharmacology qualified for the quarterfinals from the knockout rounds. Dentistry qualified as best losers, and MBBS was an automatic qualifier from the previous edition.
In the quarterfinals:
Pharmacy defeated Pharmacology
MBBS defeated Dentistry
MLS and Nursing had a draw
Then the drama began.
That night, things got heated on COMPSSAVERSE, the official group chat for all COMPSSAites. A petition surfaced regarding an unfair call made by the referee in favour of Nursing during the MLS vs. Nursing game. An investigation confirmed that the call was indeed unfair and influenced by external factors. Neither department was at fault. It was also noted that the referee ended the match on a free throw, which is against the rules of basketball.
To resolve the issue, the University of Lagos basketball coach was consulted, and the verdict was given: regardless of what happened, the referee’s call stands, and both teams must continue in the tournament. To avoid a repeat of this, the referee was dismissed.
MLS and Nursing both moved on to the semifinals, but due to the dispute, both teams walked over their next matches. This allowed Dentistry and Pharmacology to qualify automatically for the semifinals alongside MBBS and Pharmacy.
And just like before, Dentistry and Pharmacology bottled it again. The finals were between MBBS and Pharmacy. MBBS won, retaining their gold from the previous edition and proudly claiming the title of "Twice undefeated champions." For third place, Pharmacology faced Dentistry. And once again, Dentistry fumbled, earning themselves the title "The Ultimate Bottlers."
MALE BASKETBALL
Male basketball wasn’t too different from the female version. Just like volleyball, there were three groups:
Group A: MBBS, Pharmacology, and Physiology
Group B: Dentistry, Physiotherapy, and Radiography
Group C: Pharmacy, MLS, and Nursing
This year also marked a major shift. For the first time, departments fielded independent teams in both male and female basketball. In past editions, teams were often merged across departments. Not anymore. This time, every department stood on its own.
MBBS, Dentistry, and Pharmacy topped their groups and qualified for the semifinals, alongside MLS, who came in as best losers. But here’s where things got strange: both Dentistry and MLS walked over their semifinal games, against Pharmacy and MBBS, respectively.
So it all came down to Pharmacy vs MBBS in the final. And unlike the female final, this one wasn’t a nail-biter. Pharmacy dominated with 41 points to MBBS’ 34, proving they weren’t just here to play, they came to win.
Let’s just say, the MBBS boys fought hard, but the Pharmacy squad came in guns blazing and took what they believed was theirs.
Clearly, the MBBS boys couldn’t quite replicate their girls’ domination.
ATHLETICS
Athletics turned out to be MBBS' playground. There was hardly any event where they didn’t secure a medal; gold, silver, bronze, name it.
For the 100m, 200m, and 400m races, each department presented two athletes. These had two heats, and the top three from each heat advanced to the finals. But for the 800m and 1500m, it was straight to finals. No heats. Just vibes and endurance.
In the 100m, Balogun of MBBS and Amanda of Pharmacy sprinted to gold like they were born on a racetrack, MBBS' own Usain Bolt and Pharmacy's Florence Griffith.
The 200m gold medals? Snatched again by MBBS' Joker and Adeife.
In the female 400m race, Aderinsola and Rhema, both MBBS babes, claimed gold and silver like it was a sister affair. In the male race, Ogon of Physiology showed up and showed out, taking gold with ease.
In the 800m, Olamide of MBBS bagged gold for the girls, while Ogon (yes, again) claimed another for Physiology.
For the 1500m, Femisola earned Physiotherapy their first gold in the female category. And once again, Ogon of Physiology, “the strongest and the most fit,” finished with gold for the boys. At this point, dear readers, kindly give that man a round of applause, he didn’t come to play and definitely wasn’t played.
In the 4×100m relay, Pharmacy took gold in the female category, while MBBS claimed it for the males.
In the 4×400m relay, the MBBS female team flew to gold, and the Physiotherapy boys followed suit in their own race.
In the mixed relays, Physiotherapy and MBBS clinched gold in the 4×100m and 4×400m respectively.
SWIMMING
Swimming was split into male and female categories, held in a 25m pool, and featured two strokes: freestyle and backstroke.
In the female freestyle, T'mara of MBBS took gold, Olamide of Physiotherapy swam to silver, and Lademi of Dentistry earned bronze.
In the male freestyle, Adebiyi of Pharmacy won gold, Emmanuel of MBBS followed with silver, and Abass of Dentistry swam in with bronze.
In the female backstroke, Mercy of Nursing clinched gold. Lademi of Dentistry added a silver to her stash, and T'mara of MBBS returned for bronze.
In the male backstroke, Emmanuel of MBBS upgraded from silver to gold. Abass of Dentistry rose to silver, and Opeyemi of Radiography wrapped it up with bronze.
BADMINTON
Badminton followed a knockout format with best-of-three matches. Unlike most sports, both semifinal losers receive bronze medals since there’s no third-place match.
In the male category, Bolu of Pharmacology and Julian of MLS took gold and silver, respectively. Fawaz of Radiography and Samuel of Physiology both earned bronze.
In the female category, Favour of MLS smashed her way to gold, Oluwatomi of Physiotherapy took silver, while Abiola of Radiography and Sophia of Dentistry claimed the bronze medals.
In mixed doubles, the “Double B’s” — Bolu and Bolu of Pharmacology — won gold (very cliché and demure). Favour and Julian of MLS bagged silver. Moyo and Kamal of MBBS, and Amanda and Jola of Pharmacy, both took home bronze.
LAWN TENNIS
Also, knockout, best-of-three matches.
In the male category, Debo and Richard of MBBS took gold and silver, while Bolexxy of Pharmacology and Bankzz of Radiography claimed bronze.
In the female category, Tofunmi and Louisa of MLS snatched gold and silver, respectively. MBBS’ Adaure and Barbara followed with bronze medals.
In mixed doubles, MBBS' Debo and Adaure won gold, Pharmacology's Bolexxy and Doyin secured silver, while MLS' Tofunmi and Christoph, and Pharmacy's Emmatim and Chinenye took bronze.
THE INDOOR GAMES
The indoor games kicked off with preliminaries and semifinals on June 22, featuring Chess, Ludo, Ayo, Checkers, Scrabble, FIFA, and Table Tennis. Checkers and Ludo took place in the common rooms, chess happened at the quadrangle slabs, while Scrabble and Ayo were played on tables in front of Block 2.
CHESS
Eighteen rounds in the preliminaries. One department sat out each round. MBBS, Nursing, Pharmacology, and Physiotherapy advanced to the female finals. MLS, Nursing, and Physiotherapy advanced on the male side.
In the finals, Nursing beat MBBS in the female game and MLS in the male game. Ayoola and Bojutomi truly channeled their inner Tunde Onakoya and became the chess masters of COMPSSA.
MALE FIFA
BDS, MBBS, MLS, and Pharmacy made it to the finals. MLS won bronze against Pharmacy.
In a now-famous Esosa vs. Esosa final, MBBS’ Esosa defended his name and clinched gold against his namesake, who came as the 1st runner up..
FEMALE FIFA
Just like their male counterparts, MBBS and MLS entered into the finals along with Nursing. However, they did not follow in the exact steps of the males as MLS grabbed gold, MBBS - silver, and Nursing - Bronze.
SCRABBLE
In this game of words, MBBS spelt the names of Nursing, Physiology and Pharmacy, coming out top in both the male and female games.
It was a best of 3 game which saw gold, silver and bronze for MBBS, Pharmacy and Nursing respectively in the male games and MBBS, Physiology and Pharmacy in the female games.
MALE CHECKERS
Pharmacy, BDS, and Radiography battled it out. Pharmacy took gold. BDS and Radiography settled for silver and bronze.
Mr. Bayo of Pharmacy became a 3-time COMPSSA Checkers champion, winning every edition since he joined. Respect is due.
FEMALE CHECKERS
BDS, MBBS, Nursing, and Radiography clashed in the finals. MBBS emerged champions. Radiography took silver, and Nursing defeated BDS to claim bronze.
AYO
Eminent showed up with rocks in a game of pebbles. The Director of Sports didn’t just hold the title, he lived it. He directed MBBS to the finals and then straight to gold. Femi of Physiology and Abe of Radiography took silver and bronze.
Blessing was a true blessing to MBBS. After winning gold in Checkers, she repeated it in Ayo. Miracle of Nursing earned silver. Louisa of MLS took bronze.
LUDO
Pharmacology, Radiography, Physiotherapy, and MLS made the finals. Pharmacology earned gold, Radiography took silver, and Physiotherapy claimed bronze after a walkover by MLS.
For the girls, Physiology snagged their first indoor games gold, followed by Physiotherapy and MBBS.
TABLE TENNIS
MLS' Tofunmi did not come to the festival to play. Literally. She bagged gold in both volleyball and tennis. MBBS and Physiology followed her in tennis. On the male side, Physiology’s Jerry served up gold after defeating representatives from Physiotherapy and Dentistry.
A GRAND FINISH TO THE GRANDEST OF SPORTS FESTIVALS
The football finals marked the grand finale of the COMPSSA Sports Festival 2025. Nursing had both their male and female teams in the finals, standing tall with hopes of a clean sweep. Their challengers? MLS girls and Pharmacy boys.
Before the finals, Radiography girls delivered one of the most talked-about moments of the tournament. They knocked MBBS out in the quarterfinals, and truthfully, half the school was just a little too happy about it.
MLS female football goalkeeper had to be the MVP of the day, as she saved three penalty shots from nursing, leading her team to victory.
Male finals started with nursing boys leading in first half, and then in second half, pharmacy boys sent two goals into the net. If Remontanda were to be there, he would have clapped and yelled, "That's my boys". Nursing had cried double tears on the day of finals, with both their girls and boys forsaking the football trophy on the very last day.
Chants of “Big PANS” rent the air as PANSites - The broad name for pharmacy - paraded the school with joyful noises, because as winners of the Provost Cup (that is, winners of the football tournament), they may not have won the war, but they had won a battle.
Overall, the AMSUL (MBBS) team emerged victorious as the winners of the 2025 COMPSSA sports event again, their grit and tenacity undeniable.
Words may fall short of capturing the full energy and spirit of this year’s edition. It was a festival of excellence, of sweat and speed, of strategy and stamina. A place where names were forgotten, and legends were born.
A big congratulations to the COMPSSA director of sports, Eminent, who stayed true to his word and delivered the greatest sports event COMPSSA has ever witnessed! Future directors of sports will need lessons on how to walk in really big shoes.
COMPSSA Sports Festival today. Olympics tomorrow? Maybe. But what is certain is this: in the halls, on the courts, across the tracks and pools of CMUL, legends were forged.
They came. They bled. They conquered.
And when the dust settled, what remained was more than just medals and trophies. It was a legacy.
So here’s to the underdogs that rose. The giants that fell. The champions that reigned. And the spirit that bound them all.
The Forge of Legends wasn’t just a theme. It was prophecy fulfilled.