Sports
AFN Confident As World U-20 Athletics Championship Begins
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has promised that the nation’s athletes would have a great performance at the 2022 World U-20 Athletics Championships, which began at the weekend in Cali, Colombia.
At the last edition of the championship in Nairobi, Kenya, Nigeria’s U-20 track and field athletes set a new record in the country’s participation in the event, finishing third on the medals table with an unprecedented four gold and three bronze medals.
The four gold medals won in Nairobi remain the highest Nigeria has ever achieved in any edition of the championships.
A team of 19 home-based athletes and five coaches departed Lagos last week for Cali, Colombia.
AFN secretary, Adeniyi Beyioku, told news men that all the athletes were in high spirit, adding that they are eager to surpass the achievement in Nairobi.
This year’s World U-20 Athletics Championship will end this weekend.
At the last edition in Nairobi, Nigeria’s 4x400m mixed relay team began the unprecedented haul with its historic, championships record-setting performance (3:19.70 CR) on an opening day. It was followed by the gold medal by the fastest U-17 quarter-miler in the world, Imaobong Nse Uko, in the women’s 400m with a new 51.55 seconds personal best.
The win made Uko the fourth Nigerian woman to win the event after Fatimah Yusuf (1990), Bisi Afolabi (1994) and Folashade Abugan (2008).
Another gold medal from United States-based speed star, Udodi Onwuzurike, gave Nigeria the third gold in the men’s 200m, where he also set a new 20.21seconds personal best.
The half-lap gold was Nigeria’s second since Francis Obikwelu won it in 1996 to complete his sprint double in Sydney, Australia.
Coaches in the trip to Cali are Ayodele Solaja, Isiaka Saka Oluyemi, Rachael Oguntona and John Micah.
It was not clear if AFN’s head coach, former sprinter, jumper and hurdler, Seigha Porbeni, was able to join the athletes, as his initial travel plan was aborted on Sunday night due to flight hitches.
Apart from the 19 home-based athletes, who departed Abuja on Friday, two Nigerian stars joined the camp from the United States.
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.
-
Featured2 days agoWASSCE: RSG Distributes Science Materials To Secondary Schools
-
News2 days ago
Xenophobic Attacks: Nigerian Lives More Important Than Foreign Investment – Oshiomhole
-
Rivers2 days ago
MBA Forex Trial Adjourn To June 3, Amid Bereavement … As Court Declines Cost Application
-
News2 days ago
ActionAid Demands Probe Of Govs Using Public Funds For Campaign
-
Aviation2 days ago
Passengers Stranded As Delta Airline From Atlanta Route Back Eight Hours After
-
Business2 days ago
Customs Impound N2.35bn Cocaine, 15 Trailers of Rice
-
Politics2 days ago
2027: Bayelsa Senator Gets Critical Endorsement For Second Term
-
Politics2 days agoINEC Sets Rivers South-East Senatorial By-Election For June 20