Four Nigerian sprinters booked their places in the men and women 100m final of the African Games and by all reckoning, they are not far away from the podium and the medals attached to it.
The final would be decided on Tuesday and the prospect of a Nigerian sweep of the event is bright, but the women, Olayinka Olajide and Justina Tiana Eyakpobeyan must figure out how to handle Gambia’s Gina Bass who had the fastest time in the semi-final an 11.37 seconds effort. Bass who is the defending 200m champion from Rabat 2019. Her heat was the fastest, with Madagascar’s Claudine Njarosoa finishing 11.59 behind Bass and Ghana’s Mary Bokye third with 11.64 seconds.
Olajide was first in her heat racing to a finish of 11. 46 seconds. Eyakpobeyan also finished top in her heat with 11.67 seconds. Based on their credentials coming to the African Games they must be having more gas in their tanks to to make it a Nigeria 1 and 2 in the final.
In the men’s race Consider Ekanem was not under any pressure to produce the 10.37seconds that got him a ticket to the final he beat Ghana’s Aggreh Barnabas to the second spot. Barnabas ran 10.42 seconds while Bibi Noa Jerrel of Mauritius was third with 10. 47 seconds.
Experienced Itseoritse Itsekiri kept his cool in the third semi-final heat, which saw two expulsion after false starts, to run 10.29 seconds. It was the second fastest time in the semi-final heats and it seems the man to beat in the men’s 100m is Cameroonian Emmanuel Alobwede Eseme, who clocked 10.23 seconds in his heat.
In other events of the day Esther Joseph Elo ran 51.81 seconds in the women 400m heats to establish herself as the favourite to clinch the title. Nigeria’s other runners Brittney Ogumokun and Easter Okon Peter also qualified for the semi-final. Ogunmokun ran 53.53seconds in her heat while Okon Peter secured the first position in her heat with 53.17seconds.
in the men’s race Chidi Okezie ran a relaxed race of 45.89s as a season opener in the men’s 400m. He leads Dubem Nwachukwu who got edged in 46.29s in his heat and Sikiru Adeyemi in 46.72s into the semi finals.
