Toblow backs struggling Okagbare to shine at Asaba 2018

Prestige Otaben

Athletics coach Tobias Igwe has  said Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Blessing Okagbare remains Nigeria’s best hope of winning medals at the Asaba 2018 African Senior Athletics Championships.

The  sprinter, who  has been struggling for  form this season, came  fifth in the women’s 100m  at the IAAF Diamond League in Stockholm.

At  the IAAF World Challenge in Hengelo, Holland, Okagbare ran 23.03secs in the 200m to place fifth.

In an  interview with our correspondent on the telephone, Igwe, who is popularly called Toblow, said the 29-year-old athlete still remains  the country’s biggest name in the sport and hope for  medals at   Asaba 2018, which begins on Wednesday.

The veteran coach   believes Okagabre will   beat  Ivory Coast’s duo Murielle Ahoure and Marie Josee Ta Lou, who have been in excellent form this season.

“Okagbare’s  current form can never be used to judge her. She has delivered on the big stage before and the fact that she trains outside the country has put her  ahead of the other athletes in the country,” Igwe  said.

“That she has produced some unimpressive results recently doesn’t mean that she is a bad athlete. The athletes from Ivory Coast may be doing well but they are not better than her because they are running almost the same thing as she runs.

“If she is  demoralised before the competition, who are those to deliver the medals? The truth is Nigeria currently have young sprinters but none of them is reliable yet.”

Also, Nigeria Police College coach Solomon Aliyu said Okagbare  deserved credit for her efforts so far.

He said, “She is the best Nigeria has at the moment, if we don’t rely on her who else do we have? We can’t write her off because of a string of poor results. The problem is that nobody has met her to ask her why she was turning out those results but everyone wants to blame her for her poor form.

“Most of our athletes suffer in competitions and nobody cares about it; the only thing they care about is results. Okagbare should be supported, whether in success or in failure.”

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