Commonwealth Silver Medalist and Gold Medalist in the All African Games, Patience George, has said she has her eyes set on winning an Olympic gold medal before quitting the sports that brought her fame.
George, who placed 6th at the recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, stated this in an interview with news men this week in Calabar.
George, who is currently the 400m title holder in the National Sports Festival (NSF), said she would also be aiming to break the Africa record before quitting the sport.
The athlete, who spoke on a wide range of issues affecting Nigerian athletes at big events, attributed her success story so far to her passion for sports.
George, with a personal best of 50:71 seconds in 400m, said she remained optimistic of breaking the 48:54secs Africa record set by Namibia’s teenager, Christine Mboma, as she was already working towards achieving the feat.
She, however, called for support from government and corporate organisations for her and other athletes to achieve their dreams.
“All that I have achieved thus far is majorly through personal efforts and nothing more.
“My state, Cross River, has been the most disappointing of all. There is no form of support coming from my state as regards my trainings and other logistics.
“As for the Federal Government, it is only when there is a major championship that some of us get to see and feel its presence.
“Personally, I feel Nigeria will do better if the government does not wait for competitions before remembering their athletes,” she said.