Leading Nigerian athletics coach Tobias Igwe,has claimed that the country would do well at the next Olympic Games in Athens despite the late call to camp of athletes. “I do not think that it is now too late to call athletes to camp. I still believe the time is okay by me. I’ve never being associated with failure, and this Olympics will not be any different,” Igwe said.
He attributed his optimism to the new direction taken by the country’s Director of Sports Development,
Patrick Ekeji. “Ekeji has done a lot to enhance the athletes’ performance. For the first time, they are camped in a beautiful four star hotel in Abuja. “We have good food and a conducive environment ideal
for the athletes to rest after their day’s training programme.
“This is what produces high performance from athletes and expectedly, I am hopeful that we would do well in Athens,” Igwe told Nigeriasports.com in Abuja. The coach who is credited with nurturing such
sprinters as Alozie Glory,(100mH silver medallist at the Sydney Olympics for Nigeria but now campaigns for Spain) IAAF World Cup winner Uchenna Emedolu, as well as Desmond and Osmond Ezinwa also said “there is very good prospects in the relays.”
“What I am saying is true and you will come to congratulate me after the Games. You will see what
will happen to the men’s 4 X 100m relay team. Others people think will not qualify will also qualify.
“There are still a good number races we will engage in to qualify us for the Games between now and June. I’m not afraid that we would not qualify,” he said. Nigeriasports.com reports that Igwe also brought a new high school kid Alozie Uzodimma, to the 14th National Sports Festival where he came second in a time of 10.52secs.
By Joe Miebi
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