We’re hopeful of winning medals, says Okowa
Seven Nigerian athletes are expected to depart Lagos, this evening, for Belgrade, Serbia, ahead of this year’s World Athletics Indoor Championships.
Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) President, Tonobok Okowa, who will lead the squad to Belgrade, told The Guardian in a telephone chat, yesterday, that the athletes would depart aboard Turkish Airline alongside their coaches, former hurdler, Seigha Porbeni and ex-sprinter, Endurance Ojokolo.
World and Olympic long jump medallist, Ese Brume and the men’s 4x400m quartet of Sikiru Adewale Adeyemi, Samson Oghenewegba Samson, Timothy Emewoghene and Ifeanyi Emmanuel Ojeli will be in the flight to Belgrade via Istanbul, Turkey, while Ruth Usoro, the Nigerian triple jump record holder, will fly from the United States of America to join the team for the championships.
Also expected to join the team is AFN’s Performance Director, U.S.-based former 400m hurdler, Victor Okorie. The Belgrade 2022 World Indoor Championship will hold from March 18 to 20.
Some of the events Team Nigeria will feature are women’s long jump, triple jump and 4×4 relay for men. Nigeria has won a total of 11 medals, made up of two gold (Sunday Bada, 400m in 1997 and Olusoji Fasuba, 60m in 2008), six silver and three bronze medals.
Long jumper, Paul Emordi, won Nigeria’s first medal, a silver in the history of the championships at the inaugural edition held at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, U.S. in 1987.
The late Sunday Bada remains the only Nigerian to have won multiple medals in the history of the championships after winning silver medals in the 400m event in 1993 and 1995 before becoming the first Nigerian to be crowned World Indoor champion in 1997 in Paris, France.
Meanwhile, Okowa said he is hopeful the athletes will do Nigeria proud by winning medals in Belgrade.
“The AFN has chosen the best crop of athletes for the World Indoors in Belgrade, and I am very hopeful they will do Nigeria proud,” Okowa stated.
