By Ben Efe
Former Nigerian sprint star, Endurance Ojokolo has backed Nigerian women sprinters to regain their strong hold of the continent as track and field enthusiasts look forward to the athletics event of the African Games here in Accra, Ghana.
Since 2015 no Nigerian woman has made the podium in the 100m of the African Games and according to Ojokolo who is 2004 African Championships gold medalist and 2003 African Games 4x100m gold winner, Nigerian women are back in the mix of top African sprints and when the events unfold at the University of Ghana Stadium in East Legon, the likes of Olajide Olayinka, Blessing Ogundiran and Justina Tiana Eyakpobeyan would stand up to be counted.
Olayinka with 11.19 seconds has the third best world performance so far in the season. If she can reproduce or improve on her form at the African Games trial in Asaba, she could strike gold in her first African Games outing.
Cote d’Ivoire Marie Jose Talou since 2015 has dominated the women’s 100m, it is not yet clear if she would be running the 2023 Games. She and Gambia’s Gina Bass took their turns to win the women’s 200m in 2015 and 2019.
“Our sprinters are fit and ready for the Games, they are looking forward to racing the best there is,” said Ojokolo.
“They are motivated and have the right frame of mind to compete. There’s Olayinka, Ogundian and Tiana who have done well and are keen to reproduce their best.”
Eyakopobeyan who was within an earshot away chipped into the conversation: “It has to be gold or nothing,”
For the male sprinters Ojokolo is optimistic that Nigerian can also make impact in the 100m with Itseoritshe Itsekiri, Seye Ogunlewe and Alaba Akintola expected to join Consider Ekanem who is already on ground waiting to have the first feel of his international competition.
