The fastest man in Africa
By Jide Alaka
May 5, 2010 10:49AM
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After winning the third leg of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Golden League meeting in Lagos in a time of 10.13s, Oghene Egwero has thus set the best African mark in the 100m for the 2010 athletics season.
Egwero had come back into the country to compete in the Golden Meet after a commendable semi final outing at the World Indoors Athletics competition in Doha in March.
However, local coaches and athletes have condemned the format of the meet.
Golden League ambitions
The 2009 National Sports Festival champion spoke to NextSports after the Yabatech meet and disagrees with the assertion.
“I believe this idea of Golden League by the AFN is really helping the athletes, the complaints would always be that but there are no short cuts to helping athletes achieve better times than regular competitions,” he said.
The 10.13 seconds is Egwero’s 2010 personal best and that time has put him ahead of Gerrard Phiri of Zambia who has run the fastest 100m in 10.17 seconds in the outdoor season.
Egwero also says there is more to be expected from him this season.
“It has been a good year for me so far and I thank God for everything. I am not under any form of pressure. I want to take every race as it comes, but my major aim is to perform well at both the Africa Championships and the Commonwealth Games coming up later this year,” he said.
He believes he will have a chance in India during the Commonwealth Games. “I don’t think I would have burn out before the commonwealth [because] I am working with my coach and all those things that will make me be at my optimum will be put in place,” he said. “I believe I will sustain this success throughout the year.”
Tackling the future
He is confident of winning the N1 million prize for winning five races out of the event’s six races.
“I am also confident that I can win the Golden League though I know other athletes would give me a run for my money,” he said. “I like the time posted but I still believe it can be better, I am working hard and I know there is room for improvement.”
Sunday Bada, technical director of Athletics Federation of Nigeria, believes that Egwero will get better as the season rolls on. The former quarter miler said:
“We are impressed by his performance and we believe he can do better,” said Mr. Bada, a former quarter miler “For him to be running a 10.1 in April, which is just the beginning of the season; he should be able to beat that time down if he sustains the tempo.”
The next leg of the Golden League will come up in Makurdi on May 21 and 22; followed by meets in Owerri and Warri.
The winner of the N1 million jackpot will have won five out of the six races in the six meetings.