Sports
16 New Swimming Records Set In Edo 2020
Sixteen National and Festival records have so far been set in the swimming event at the ongoing National Sports Festival (NSF), Edo 2020.
Two of the records were set in National Records (NR), the other 14 records were Festival Records (FR).
Team Edo set a new NR in 4×200m freestyle women relay in swimming in a time of 10:00.53 to erase the old record of 10:10.89 set in 2006.
In the 800m freestyle men, Opute Clinton of Delta set a new NR of 9:34.53 to cancel out the old record of 9:40.20 established in 2006.
Swimming sensation Ifiezegbe Gagbe from Bayelsa, has been the cynosure of all eyes, with her new FR records in six events at the festival so far.
She has created new records in 100m Freestyle, 400m individual medley, 1500m freestyle, 200m freestyle and the 400m freestyle respectively.
The Bayelsa swimmer returned in a time of 1:01.54 in the 100m freestyle for women, against the former FR of 1:02.66 set in 2012.
Gagbe also set new FR of 5:46.95 in the 400m individual medley to erase the 2006 FR of 5:47.95.
The queen of the pool also set new FR of 21:04.92 in the1500m freestyle women to cancel out 21:05.10 set in 2018.
The athlete further created new FR of 2:17.05 in 200m as against 2018 FR of 2:20.28 and 5:04.30 in 400m to erase the old 2012 FR of 5:09.71.
Another athlete, Timipamere Akiayefa of Delta, created two new records in 50m Backstroke for women and in the 50m Butterfly.
She returned in a time of 31:73 in the 50m Backstroke to cancel out the previous record of 32:10 set in 2006 while she set new FR 50m Butterfly record of 29: 34 to erase the 2018 record of 29:87.
Akiayefa, along with her colleagues, similarly created a new FR record in the 4×100m freestyle when they finished the race in a time of 4:20.98 to erase the 2018 record of 4:22.56.
Tidesports source reports that other records created are in the 100m Breaststroke for men and women, 4×200m freestyle women, 50m Butterfly men, 100m Butterfly men and the 800m freestyle men.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
-
Featured4 days agoWASSCE: RSG Distributes Science Materials To Secondary Schools
-
News4 days ago
Xenophobic Attacks: Nigerian Lives More Important Than Foreign Investment – Oshiomhole
-
Rivers5 days ago
MBA Forex Trial Adjourn To June 3, Amid Bereavement … As Court Declines Cost Application
-
News4 days ago
ActionAid Demands Probe Of Govs Using Public Funds For Campaign
-
Aviation5 days ago
Passengers Stranded As Delta Airline From Atlanta Route Back Eight Hours After
-
Business5 days ago
Customs Impound N2.35bn Cocaine, 15 Trailers of Rice
-
Politics4 days ago
2027: Bayelsa Senator Gets Critical Endorsement For Second Term
-
Politics4 days agoINEC Sets Rivers South-East Senatorial By-Election For June 20