The true evaluation of a country’s potential in sports comes with a critical look at the grassroots level. Having talented young athletes is a big plus that should propel the administrators to take the next step of exposing them and creating an enabling environment for them to further blossom into super stars. We believe it is always interesting to see young athletes showing intentions to take over from the established ones in the future. After the Olympic Games ended in Tokyo on August 8, Ministry of Sports officials told the world that the country’s athletes were young and would make Nigeria proud based on the experience gained at the 17- day event.

It was thus no surprise the U-20 team travelled to Kenya to compete at the World Athletics Championships and recorded the country’s best performance ever at the competition. Through their excellent performance, Nigeria finished in the third position on the medals table out of the 120 countries that participated. It started with the 4x400m mixed relay quartet of Chidera Johnson Nnamani, Deborah Oke, Imaobong Nse-Uko, and Bamidele Ajayi that won gold with a time of 3:19.70.

They shattered all records – national U-20 record, African U-20 record and Championship record. Nnamdi Chinecherem won a historic bronze in the men’s javelin with a distance of 74.48m. He had earlier broken the national record of 78.01m at the Nigerian Championships which were held a few months ago at the Yaba College of Technology, in Lagos.

The elated medallist said: “It comes with so much joy knowing that you won a medal for your nation but it’s more exciting when your name is inscribed in the history books as the first to ever achieve such a feat.” Udodi Onwuzurike was a surprise gold winner in the men’s 200m. We believe he is a big star in the making. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Nigeria’s latest sprint sensation has revealed why he chose Nigeria over the United States. “It’s my country, look at my name (Udodi Onwuzurike); it doesn’t look like I’m from the US. It’s my country, it’s my heritage and I’m Nigerian, so I had to.” Another history run was achieved by Nigeria’s 18-yearold athlete discovered four years ago at a grassroots competition in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, running barefooted. Today, Uko Imaobong is the women’s U-20 400m world champion.

Imaobong in her usual style powered home from behind to snatch gold with a sensational winning time of 51.55s. Favour Ofili was also glorious in the women’s 200m event as she finished third to clinch bronze in a highly competitive race. Erhire Omamuyovwi’s best finish of 2.17m was close to the podium but he ended in 4th place and emerged the best African U-20 high jumper of 2021. It is important for us to note the unfortunate circumstances of Godson Brume, Ese Brume’s brother.

He did so well in the heats and semis but after qualifying for the final, a nagging hamstring injury stopped him from competing in the final. Apart from a huge praise coming from President Muhammadu Buhari to the team in a release signed by Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, the Minister of Sport, Sunday Dare, also showered encomiums on the historic athletes.

“These young athletes deserve our respect for representing Nigeria so very well. Congratulations to our young athletes on their record breaking performances at the World U-20 Athletics Championships in Nairobi, Kenya. Nigeria earned a third place on the medals table out of 120 countries that participated. This position places Nigeria on the world map of world athletics and signposts a new trajectory for athletics in Nigeria. We will keep this team. Train them. Support them. Design a programme for them and have them prepared for more victories. We have started building a new and younger generation of young Nigerian Athletes.

There is much hope.” We insist that the Ministry of Sports should match action with words to create a good template for these promising athletes to be among the best in the world. The potential is there and creating a template is crucial because there could be a change of guard before the next Olympics but with a good structure on ground, the programmes will continue for these budding talents.

We recall former national stars like Mary Onyali, Fatima Yusuf, Falilat Ogunkoya, Bisi Afolabi, Shade Abugan, Chidi Imo, the Ezenwa brothers David and Osmond, Olapade Adenekan and Innocent Egbunike all came to limelight through the agegrade athletics meets. President of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobock Okowa is also expected to be up and doing by searching for more hidden talents that could join the ones who did well in Kenya. New Telegraph wants to plead that unlike previous assurances given to our sportsmen and women that were never fulfilled, this time around those involved should make them a reality.

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