Experienced former sprinter Endurance Ojokolo is optimistic about Nigeria’s female sprinters clinching gold medals at the current 13th African Games in Ghana.
With the track and field events set to commence on Monday, Ojokolo believes the Nigerian team is poised to reclaim its dominance in African athletics. The last time a Nigerian woman reached the podium for the 100m at the African Games was in 2015.
Ojokolo, who has her own share of accolades including a gold at the 2004 African Championships and a 4x100m gold at the 2003 African Games, is confident that this drought is about to end.
She expects sprinters like Olajide Olayinka, Blessing Ogundiran, and Justina Tiana Eyakpobeyan to make significant impacts in the upcoming 100m races at the University of Ghana Stadium.
With Olayinka posting the third-fastest time globally this season at 11.19 seconds, a repeat or better performance could see her leading the charge for Nigeria’s return to the top.
The dominance of Cote d’Ivoire’s Marie Jose Talou in the women’s 100m and the alternation of victories between her and Gambia’s Gina Bass in the 200m for the past two editions have set a challenging standard. However, their participation in this year’s Games remains uncertain.
“Our sprinters are fit and ready for the Games; they are looking forward to racing the best there is,” Ojokolo said, according to The Guardian. “They are motivated and have the right frame of mind to compete. There’s Olayinka, Ogundiran and Tiana, who have done well and are keen to reproduce their best.”
