African athletics championships boost Olympics’ preparation – Ogunkoya

[MrVan]

Lagos – Former Nigeria athlete Falilat Ogunkoya has described Team Nigeria's success at the just-concluded 18th African Athletics Championships in Porto Novo, Benin Republic, as a boost ahead of the London 2012 Olympics.

Ogunkoya on Tuesday in Lagos said that the team worked hard for the championships and their performance was reflected in the outcome.

"Winning at Porto Novo was a boost for our team because I know they worked very hard and the team worked very hard.

"And again they were able to top the table which is a good boost for the athletes and the officials. "

Ogunkoya added that though the Olympic Games were big, she believed the athletes had what it takes to put up a good performance and make the country proud.

According to her, the Games are staged in a manner that any athlete could win once he or she made it to the final.

" I know that the athletes will do very well at the Olympics and you know the Olympics is another ball game.

" With the sprints, relay and the jumps, I believe that they would be able to make themselves and Nigeria proud as a whole."

Reacting to the country's difficulty in producing outstanding 400 metres athletes like those in her time, Ogunkoya noted that the event involved a lot of hard work and discipline.

She advised that the country should look beyond the London Olympics and start preparing for the 2016 Olympics.

"As a quarter-miler it takes a lot of work, a lot of disciple and we need to look at them in the relay to make sure that they can run very well."

Thirty-one athletes were on Monday selected to represent the country in the athletics event of the Games which will begin on July 27. (NAN)

Vanguard Nigeria