Delta State confirmed their sprinting dominance at the 2nd Niger Delta Games in Benin City on Saturday, winning both the women’s and men’s 100 metres titles in thrilling finals.
In the women’s race, Ejiro Peter showed her class as she powered to gold in a time of 11.58 seconds, beating a strong field to prove she is one of the top female sprinters at the Games. Host Edo State finished second and third, with Tejiri Ugoh Praise clocking 11.76 seconds for silver and Victory Imoisemeh Azobudi taking bronze.
Delta State also triumphed in the men’s final, as Chibueze Ozama won gold in 10.42 seconds. Bright Gift of Team Akwa Ibom claimed silver in 10.57 seconds, while Saturday Godswill finished third in 10.59 seconds.
Although neither Ejiro Peter nor Chibueze Ozama set new records, their performances were impressive. The first edition of the Niger Delta Games allowed elite athletes, while the current edition is mainly for Under-25 athletes, which makes record-breaking more difficult.
The men’s record of 10.16 seconds set by Favour Ashe is still expected to stand for some time, but there is hope that Jennifer Chukwuka’s 11.41 seconds in the women’s event could be broken soon. Both athletes previously represented Delta State at the Niger Delta Sports Festival in Uyo, and the state has now successfully defended both sprint titles in Benin City.
