Ogazi, Nathaniel in tight 400m showdown as curtain falls on AFN Golden League

All eyes will be on the men’s 400m final, today, at the AFN Golden League holding in Benin City, with Samson Nathaniel and Samuel Ogazi expected to clash for the top spot.

Events at the Samuel Ogemudia Stadium went on smoothly, yesterday, despite the mid morning rains, but athletes, who wanted to be in Golden League had to push harder to qualify. Yesterday was the All Comers event.

“It’s just like a final for us, everyone have to run the heats with everything to make the top four for the Golden League,” said one of the athletes after the men’s 100m heats.

But the race everyone is eager to watch is the men’s 400m, where Ogazi, Nathaniel, Nnamani Chidera and Sikiru Adeyemi are all lined up.

“We are expecting a keen contest and it would not be too much to expect a 45secs run. We have the likes of Nnamani Chidera and Adeyemi, who have been in camp in Asaba,” Coach Gabriel Okon stated.”

At the Abuja leg of the Golden League, Ogazi posted 46.91 seconds, a time he is expected to improve upon based on the strong field in the Benin City meet.

Patience Okon-George is also competing in the women’s race. She did 51.92 seconds in Abuja and it is like going to a walk in the park for her.

“Okon-George has been running well in training and it would be interesting how she turns up here in Benin City,” coach Okon added.

AFN Head Coach, Seigha Porbeni, said the home-based athletes would give their foreign-based counterparts a good run at the forthcoming AFN national trials to select Nigeria’s team for the 19th World Athletics Championships holding in Budapest, Hungary in August.

“From what I have seen in the AFN Golden League, I foresee a tight competition between our home-based athletes and the foreign ones. But the home lads need to work harder,”