By Ben Efe 24.2.2026
Akwa Ibom athletics coach Daniel Umoette said Nigeria has potentials to compete with Kenya and other east African countries in the short and long distance races.
After guiding 13-year-old Hephzibah Okon to the 800m gold at the Niger Delta Games, coach Umoette noted that it was training and conditioning that separated Nigerian and athletes and their east African counterparts.
He said an athlete like Hephzibah who has been running since she was eight years has shown that given the right training, she could a world champion in the 800m and 1500m, but she needs all the sponsorship and training to achieve world level.
“We don’t have access to high altitude training, and we cannot afford to travel to Mambila Plateau and other high places we can get high altitude training. We have to make do we hilly terrains in Akwa Ibom and that does not help,” said coach Umotte.
“Hephzibah can compete with the Kenyans if she gets the right kind of training before she turns 20 years. But the conditions are not just there.
“In the past we talked about establishing a high altitude training in Mambila, but today nobody knows the state of those facilities whether they exist or not. We have a lot of kids who can do well, but they won’t reach world level without training.
“The Kenyans you are seeing it is high altitude training right from a tender age that gives them the over us, there is nothing special about them.”
He added that Hephzibah is developing remarkably well and she will make Akwa Ibom and Nigeria great in the near future. At last year’s Youth Games in Asaba Delta State she also won the 800m gold.