By Tolu Atobatele
Chairman, Lagos State Athletics Association and a board member of the newly constituted Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Solomon Alao, has charged the Team Nigeria relay teams to go all out and get the qualification standard for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
In an interview with Sports Angle reporter, Alao said the athletes had what it takes to qualify therefore should be focus and give it their all on Thursday at the Teslim Balogun Stadiun tartan track during the Lagos Open Athletics Meet.
“They shoud all go out and get the needed time because we are all looking forward to them getting the time for the Olympics,” he said.
“I want to appreciate the Lagos State Government led by his excellency, Babajide Sanwoolu, for supporting the AFN in hosting the countries in Nigeria for the relays.
“The most important thing is for them to do their best and I am sure they are going to get the time needed to be in Tokyo.
“Despite the fact that they failed to achieve it during the Olympic Trials, I have no doubt in my mind that they will get it done on Thursday.”
The teams failed to take advantage of the AFN Olympic Trials and Invitational Relays which ended on Sunday but have another opportunity to either make or mar their chances to book their flights to Tokyo to participate in the Olympic Games which holds between July 23 to August 8, 2021.
With Divine Oduduru and Raymond Ekevwo absent, it will always take more than talent for the team to run inside 38.46 seconds which is the time that has provisionally qualified Trinidad and Tobago for the Games.
Officials are confident the team can run much faster than the 39.40secs it ran on Sunday if the baton exchange can be perfected.
The women’s 4x400m team will also have to put behind them the disappointment of not even breaking 3:31 on Sunday and will go all out after a four day rest to break 3:29 and get on the plane to Tokyo.
The Nigerian relay team will have to run 3:28.13 to be absolutely certain of making the trip to Japan next month.
The men’s 4x400m team and the 4x400m mixed relays will also have to give their 100% before they can dream of running at the Olympics.
The men’s 1600 team will have to run 3:02.58 to provisionally move into the final qualification spot or 3:02.41 to be absolutely certain of making the trip to the Olympics.
The mixed relay team will also need to run 3:13.57 to be absolutely sure of qualification while a 3:15.45 performance can provisionally get the team to occupy the final qualifying spot (16th).
Sport Angle Int'l- SAI SPORTS 