The 11th Okpekpe International 10km Road Race, the Gold Label Race in West Africa, will hold on Saturday in Okpekpe, Edo State.
Sporting Tribune’s Niyi Alebiosu spoke with the Technical Director and General Co-ordinator of the race, Olympian Yusuf Alli, on preparations and arrangements ahead of the event.
He said athletes have been arriving from across the world since Monday, May 25, ahead of the competition.
“As we speak, all the technical areas have been perfected, and our personnel are working around the clock to ensure we achieve a great race on Saturday,” he said.
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On the number of elite athletes expected this year, he said, “At the last edition, we had over 40 elite athletes, but for this edition, the number should be above 50 because of those who have shown interest in being here to compete. Sincerely, the numbers keep increasing at every edition.
“This should tell you of the pedigree of the race!”
On changes introduced for this year’s event, he said security has been strengthened, saying, “I will say security, we have significantly improved security around our runners because of the current situation in the country.
“Our athletes will be closely monitored, and the routes will be properly covered before, during, and after the race.”
He said the race is fully covered.
“Yes, we have! Dr Sam Ogbondeminu is the medical director for race. His profile as the first Nigerian medical doctor to become a World Athletics-certified medical director speaks of his competence.
“Since the inception of the race, some of the best brains have been handed this very important aspect, and by my record, there has been no issue at all, so we trust Dr San Ogbondeminu and his team to deliver excellently on Saturday.”
On the continued dominance of East African athletes, he acknowledged the gap but expressed optimism.
“Yes, it’s of concern that our long-distance runners are still trying to meet up with their counterparts from East Africa, the road race culture is improving in Nigeria, and we believe that very soon our brothers from the Mambilla part of Plateau State, who are built for long-distance races, will make the country proud…very soon!”
Alli highlighted growing expansion across states, adding that, “I think we are almost there, aside from Okpekpe, we already have marathon races in Lagos, Abeokuta, Bayelsa, Abuja, Jos, and several other places across the nation. All we need to do is create an economic value chain around these events, and the commercial impact will be significantly felt,” he added.
