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President of the Nigeria Athletics Federation, Tonobok Okowa, expressed optimism about the progress of Nigerian athletes in long-distance races, predicting that they will soon be among Africa’s strongest athletes.
Traditionally, East African countries have been the dominant runners, but in recent years, Nigerian athletes have begun to show promise in long-distance running.
Mr. Okowa highlighted recent achievements as signs of significant improvement in the country's performance.
Notably, Edse Ibadin of the Nigerian team represented his country in the 800 meters at the recently concluded Paris Olympics.
Francis James has made another breakthrough in the 2024 Abeokuta 10km race. This is the first time a Nigerian has won the event, which had previously been dominated by foreign runners.
“Our distance athletes are doing well, achieving personal bests, which means they are doing something special,” Okowa said.
He also noted success at the junior level, citing the Nigerian athlete who finished fifth at the recent African Junior Championships in Zambia.
“They have never achieved a feat like this before, so reaching that level is progress,” Okowa added, adding that the Nigerian distance runners are on the path to further success. expressed confidence.
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