Cross River athletes, coaches ready for 2010 Mobil Championship

Submitted by Motunde Smith -... on 23 June 2010 - 2:11pm
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Cross Rivers will be represented by 22 athletes as the State hosts the 2010 ExxonMobil/NNPC Nigeria Track and Field Championship from June 24-26 in Calabar.

The championship serves as a trial for the selection of athletes for next month's African Senior Athletics Championships in Nairobi, Kenya and the XIX Commonwealth Games billed for New Delhi, India in October.

The Secretary, Cross River Athletics Association, Nkoyo Effiong, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Calabar that the athletes had been groomed to excel at the meet.

Effiong said that the state would field athletes in 100m, 200m, 400m and the marathon as well as in the 4x100m and 4x400m relay races.

Other races the state contingent would participate in are the 800m, 1500m and 5000m as well as the high jump and triple jump.

The secretary said that facilities at the U.J. Usuene Stadium in Calabar were in good shape for the hosting of the event.

Meanwhile, the U.S. coaches engaged by the state government for the development of athletes said that the contingent had been groomed and would do their best during the championship.

Charlton Ehizuelen, a former Nigerian Olympian, said "they (Cross River athletes) are going to do their best when they compete. I can assure you of that".

Ehizuelen, one of the two American coaches engaged by the government for its athletics programme, said that their mandate was to groom young talents in primary and secondary schools.

The other coach is Lee Evans, an Olympic gold medallist and former world record holder in the 400m.

The Cross River Director of Sports, Mr Jude Amadi, said that in preparation for the championship, the government had approved the installation of a multi-million naira electronic timing device.

"This has gone a long way to make the stadium standard for any international athletics meet,'' he said.

He said that 450 local and 50 foreign-based athletes from states and clubs were expected at the Calabar meet.

Motunde Smith with Agency (NAN) Reports