Ilorin Agog for AFN’s Golden League

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s (AFN) premier event, the Golden League is set to take centre stage at the University of Ilorin Sports Complex in Kwara State this weekend as athletes troop in their hundreds to continue their fight for the N2million prize money at stake.

AFN’s Vice President, Tunde Abdulkareem, and other officials are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the second leg of the event is a huge success, following the maiden leg of the competition which held in Abuja two weeks ago.

Yusuf Alli is expected to function as the technical delegate of the meet whilst Prof Olatunde Makanju, Mr. Ado Maude, Mr. Seigha Porbeni and Dr. Ken Anugweje will serve in the same capacity in subsequent editions in Akure, Kaduna and Port Harcourt respectively. Elsewhere, starting today through Saturday in Philadelphia, USA, Team Nigeria’s athletes will be featuring in the Penns Relays in preparations for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Nigerian athletes are set to rub shoulders with some of the best in the world as more than 60 countries around the globe have athletes competing in the event which is said to have more than 22,000 entrants annually.

The team similarly featured in the Mt. Sac Relay in California less than a week ago. AFN President, Chief Solomon Ogba who is with the team in the USA stated that the relays will be used to analyse and better the performances of the athletes ahead of the IAAF Relays in the Bahamas, the Commonwealth Games and African Senior Athletics Championships respectively.

The team under the tutelage of former world and Olympic champion, Maurice Greene, will feature in the elite category of the men and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m events. Greene who was recently employed by the AFN as Team Nigeria relay coordinator will be with the squad until after the African Championships in Morocco.

The male athletes will go against star studded teams such as Jamaica, the USA, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts & Nevis, Brazil and China while their female colleagues will contend with the likes of Brazil, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and the US.

Some of the athletes expected to participate include Gloria Asumnu, Obinna Metu, Amaechi Morton, Regina George, Nicholas Imhoaferamhe, Noah Akwu and Abiola Onakoya. Others are Isah Salihu, Orukpe Erayokan, Stephanie Kalu, Peace Uko, Omolara Omotosho, Bukola Abogunloko, Folashade Abugan, and Josephine Ehigie.

Source: This Day