Gateway Games: Bayelsa bank on Akpotu

After a successful outing at the just concluded Chevron NASK Karate Open Championship in Lagos last weekend Bayelsa State-born Karateka Efezino Akpotu is confident that he will continue his exploit at the 15th National Sports Festival, tagged “The Gateway Games”.

Akpotu who won two gold medals at the Lagos Chevron Open said his victory was due to hard work and dedication to the sport that run in his family.

The national and Africa champion in the minus 80 kilogram weight category praised the effort of the Alfred Ohimain led executive of the National Association of Shotokan Karate, NASK for putting together the championship which was sponsored by Chevron Nigeria.

He says with the staging of the Chevron NASK Open Championship he is double charged for the sports festival where he hope to win at least three gold medals for his state.

 “My victories today (last Sunday) was due to hard work and total dedication, I must commend the effort of officials of NASK and Chevron for putting together this type of championship that drew athletes from all over the country”.

“I must say that most of the Karatekas that took part in the two-day chapimship are now double charge for the sports festival holding next month in Abeokuta, ogun State and my own personal goal is to win at least three gold medals for Bayelsa State at the festival”,

Akpotu concluded. Bayelsa State who came with seven karatekas to the chanpionship won 2 gold, one silver and 4 bronze medals. According to the state coach, Izonebi Mesarawou who described the championship as an excellent one in term of turn out and level of organization says Bayelsa would win five gold medals at the Gateway Games.

Speaking shortly after his wards were decorated with their medals, Mesarawou described his state feat as a good omen of something good to come from the state Karatekas who will be storming the sports festival to contest for medals alongside other states.

“I am happy with the performance of my athletes for they came, saw and also conquer, but we are not going to rest on these little achievement here in Lagos because we know there is still a big task ahead of us which we must conquer and proved that our feat here was not just a fluke”.

I want to thank NASK and Chevron for putting these event together which had serve as a warm up tournment for my athletes and I which to appeal to other corporate bodies in the country to rally round NASK in their effort to take the game of karate to another levels in nigeria.

 The coach, however, appeal to the NASK hierarchy to let other states of the federation feel the impact of the sport too by staging the chapionship in other state other than Lagos.

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