By Uzor Odigbo
It promises to be a battle of the fittest as home-based AthIetes will square up for slots with their foreign-based counterparts from July 6th, 2023 in Benin
It would be a huge national Athletics bliss as the National Trials for the World Athletics Championships are set to hold at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin, Edo State.
A statement by the AthIetics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) on Tuesday stated that Athletes are expected to arrive at the venue in Benin on Wednesday, July 5th, while Competitions begin Thursday, Friday and Saturday and departure is for Sunday, July 9th.
The World Championships will take place in Budapest, Hungary, from August 19th to 27th.
It is however pertinent to note that while most AthIetes based abroad have earned their slots following their superlative performances in meets abroad to the World Athletics Championship, Others mostly the home-based AthIetes are yet to qualify which makes the National Trials a real challenge in Benin.
Athletes like Arshe, Udodi, Ofili, Nathaniel, Chukwuebuka etc having hit the qualification times for the Worlds, would also dare to improve their standards at the Benin trials.
However, the home-athletes are not relaxing, they would be expected to rely on AFN’s benevolence, having provided Competitions, eg Three Legs of Golden Leagues in Abuja, Benin and Uyo for their preparations.
Athletes that may provide enough challenge for the foreign-based Trojans include Uchenna Ogazi, Patience Okon George, Faith Okwose, Sikiru Adeyemi, Sampson Nathaniel and a host of others.
These are AthIetes at home who had shone like stars at the AFN Golden Leagues Competitions and my want to replicate it at the Trials.
Recall that the aforementioned U-18 and U-20 AthIetes made Nigeria proud at the Africa Junior Athletics Championship in Ndola, Zambia.
Ogazi leads the men’s 400m lineup with 20 points, four ahead of second-placed Chidera Johnson at AFN’S Golden Leagues.
The 17-year-old has remained unbeaten in the local athletics circuit this season and will want to prove his performances so far have not been by a fluke at the Trials.
In the women’s 100m, Okwose, 17, set two championships records on her way to winning the 100m and 200m titles at the African U18 with Praise Ofoku, the 20-year-old who ran in the final of the World U20 championships in Nairobi, Kenya in 2021. May prove hard to crack for the foreign-based Trojans.
Patience Okon George, one of the most decorated athletes will be aiming to assert her superiority as the best in the women’s 400m event.
The 31-year-old has been unbeaten so far this year and will seek to extend that on her home track by picking a slot or better still making the relay team.
Meanwhile, the AFN has appealed to all state association chairmen and secretaries as well as Military/Para Military and Clubs have been urged to release any of their athletes for the competition which also serves as final preparation for the World Athletics Championships in Benin City, capital of Edo state.
