The Caretaker President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria Tonobock Okowa has charged the track and field team to the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics which gets underway today to rewrite their record of participation at the quadrennial games.
Nigeria’s track and field team has failed to win a medal in the last two Olympics and Okowa believes the story will be different in Tokyo. ‘ I am confident our athletes will rewrite their record of participation at the event. The AFN has provided the enabling environment for the athletes and I am sure they will live up to our expectations,’ said the AFN president who will be in Tokyo to support the athletes.
Okowa is predicating is optimism on the pre-Games form of the athletes and the huge support received from both the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the Nigeria Olympic Committee.
”Ese Brume has proved her status as one of the best horizontal jumpers in the world. Her African record setting 7.17m leap at the end of May is the farthest any long jumper has landed so far this year,’ he said and believes sprint hurdler Tobi Amusan, sprinters Blessing Okagbare and Divine Oduduru and hammer thrower Annette Echikunwoke are world class athletes ranked among the top 10 in their events. ”Enoch Adegoke and Grace Nwokocha are dark horses waiting to spring surprises. Our 4x100m relay team is the best we have ever aasembled in terms of individual performances and should make it a hat-trick of Olympic medals in Tokyo,’ said a confident AFN head who reserved special praise for the Minister of Youth and Sports Development for his efforts in getting the athletes ready.
