Two of Nigeria’s biggest athletics administrators, Solomon Ogba and Tonobok Okowa, have predicted that East Africa’s dominance of the Okpekpe 10-Kilometre Worldwide Street Race will quickly be halted.
At the eighth edition of the competitors final Saturday, Ethiopians dominated the men’s and women’s types with Jasin Hadi (29.05) and Anchinaiu Dessie outrunning their Kenyan challengers to arise champions. Hadi’s 29.05s time is the 3rd-swiftest successful time in the record of the race. He won ahead of the Kenyan duo of Elvis Cheboi (29.20s) and Bereket Nego (29.30s).
For his exertion, Hadi went dwelling with the $13,000 top rated prize cash. In the women’s race, Dessie’s 33.09s exertion also fetched her $13,000.
For the Nigerians in the race, Ismael Sadjo (31.12s) and Rose Akusho (36.40s) came residence initially in the male and woman cadres respectively.
Pursuing Sadjo’s impressive return time, Ogba and Okowa stated Nigerians are commencing to wake up and will, in no distant future, start out competing effectively in opposition to the East Africans.
Okowa, who, on Saturday, witnessed his to start with Okpekpe Highway Race as Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) president, said that the locals’ efficiency is an sign that Nigerians will soon start winning worldwide marathons.
He reported: “They have improved on their personal very best. The man or woman that arrived to start with experienced 29 seconds, and 1 of us, Sadjo, ran 30 seconds, which is a substantial advancement.
“It means we are quite near. He even conquer some of the elite athletes. In the past, we did not get close to them, but now we are beating some of these East Africans. And I am positive inside of the future two yrs, we will have athletes competing favourably from the East Africans.”
Okowa said the AFN has started off a programme that would even more assist Nigerian athletes’ enhancement. He explained: “Recently, we put them in a camp in Pankshin and that has improved their efficiency. With time, they will compete favourably with the Kenyans and Ethiopians.”
To Ogba, a former AFN chairman, latest developments have revealed that Nigerians can contend favourably if offered the ideal guidance.
He claimed: “Nigeria is acquiring shut to the East Africans. If you watched individuals Nigerians, they are all from the Jos region and they can even do better if they halt operating in each and every race. You are not able to run every single race. You should give by yourself time to recover from the stress of a marathon. You can't operate each month and be expecting to be at your ideal.”
While Ogba acknowledged that most Nigerian athletes are their families’ breadwinners and therefore, will need to run to get paid their dwelling, he mentioned they will be improved served if they choose their competitions.
“If they program their programmes well and do factors suitable, they will win even more substantial money than when they run each thirty day period. This is what the East Africans do and they gain the major income races.”
Ogba also acknowledged the progress of Okpekpe Highway, which was begun when he was AFN president.
“I begun the race and I can explain to you that for the reason that of this race, Mike Itemuagbor, the organiser, is the most preferred indigene of this local community.
“The race has brought riches and fame to the neighborhood and they are grateful for that. Itemuagbor has set his community on the globe map. It is the only race being run right now in the complete planet and the whole environment is looking at the occasions happening her. I am guaranteed that far more than 100 million persons are observing the race.”
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