Despite old age, Egwero still holds sway at AFN trials

Ogho-Oghene Egwero

• Selection ends today in Lagos Old-timer in Nigeria’s track and field, Ogho-Oghene Egwero, sent a message to his admirers yesterday that he still has the speed and endurance to win medals for the country in fast approaching African Senior Athletics Championships in Mauritius and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

The tartan track of Yaba College of Technology hosted the best of Nigeria’s athletes yesterday in AFN’s second All Comers competition of the year, which it is using to select athletes for the 22nd African Senior Championships holding in Mauritius in June. The two-day All Comers event will end this evening.

One of the athletes, who stole the show in one of yesterday’s morning events, was Egwero.

Surrounded by young sprinters in one of the 100m heats, many athletics followers were looking forward to an upset. But Egwero ‘strolled’ from the starting block to the finish line with a time of 10.48 seconds to the admiration of thousands of fans, who came from far and near to cheer the athletes.

Egwero, one of Nigeria’s best sprinters, competed in 2009, 2011 and 2013 World Athletics Championships and the 2010 and 2016 World Indoor Championships.

He represented Nigeria at London 2012 Olympics and in 2016, Egwero ran against Jamaica’s speed star, Usain Bolt in the quarterfinal at Rio Olympics held in Brazil.

He also represented Team Nigeria at 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Egwero’s best moment on the track came in 2015 during the African Games in Brazzaville, Congo, where he ran a Personal Best time of 10.05 seconds in 100m semifinal. It was the best time recorded at Brazzaville 2015 Games.

Head coach of Delta State Athletics Association, Mrs. Emily Osakwe, told The Guardian yesterday that she