Technical director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Samuel Onikeku says the track and field body has already set plans in motion ahead of next month’s World Relays Championship in Guangzhou, China, Sports247 reports.
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While confirming that 18 athletes have already been shortlisted to carry Nigeria’s banner at the competition, which comes up on May 10th and 11th, Onikeku projected ahead and pointed out that the upcoming contest will be part of the AFN’s preparations towards next year’s Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA.
Samuel Onikeku also spoke about the experiences learnt from last year’s outing at the same competition in Bahamas, based on which he disclosed that the AFN now plans to ensure that the coubtry’s athletes arrive at the venue well ahead of the events.
Onikeku added, “The plan is to have the team arrive in Guanghzou five days to the competition, to try and perfect baton exchange. Last year, we went to Bahamas, we entered for four relays, and we qualified with all four for the Olympics.”
The AFN’s technical buff then gave a breakdown of the events and strategy that will be employed for the Nigerian contingent next month, as they seek to improve on last year’s outing, then focus more on plans for Los Angeles 2026; especially after the ongoing National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) season in USA.
He reiterated, “Again, we are going for four relays, three of which will be for the World Championships … including 4 by 100m women and 4 by 100 mixed. So, we are going there to try and qualify for those relays. After the NCAA, when all our athletes will be free, we’ll try and qualify for the 4 by 400 men and women. Those are our plans for this year.”
Onikeku concluded by heaping praises on the National Sports Commission (NSC) for taking the bull by the horn in paying training grants to the country’s athletes, which he believes wil boost their preparations individually and collectively ahead of the Olympics, while also ensuring that the AFN’s plans move ahead seamlessly.
“We are happy with what the sports commission is doing now, paying the athletes’ grants early. That will ensure that preparations for Los Angeles start early. We are also happy with what is happening now, because it means our athletes will not have any challenges in preparing for any competition,” Samuel Onikeku enthused.
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