Making of Champions (MoC) Track Club will be ably represented by 11 of its athletes at the 2017 All Nigeria Track and Field Championships slated to hold at the Abuja National Stadium between July 13th to 15th.
This is a ground breaking achievement for the club, which has Eroton E & P (www.erotonep.com) as its lead sponsor for the 2017 Athletics season. It is a vast improvement in its fortunes from a year ago when only two athletes, Joy Udo-Gabriel, and Peter Edwin, made it to the National Championships by virtue of their impressive performances in the final leg of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Golden League meet held in Akure.
It is therefore no surprise that topping the list of MoC’s qualifiers to the 2017 National Championships is Udo-Gabriel, the 2015 fastest school girl in Lagos and a double Silver medallist at last month’s AFN/MoC National U-20 Championships.
According to the list released by the AFN, the 18-year old is the 6th fastest Nigerian female sprinter this year with her Personal Best (PB) of 11.65s clocked during the AFN/Dynamic Sporting Solutions All Comers meet held in June.
Only the US-based trio of Blessing Okagbare (11.07s), Jennifer Madu (11.31s) and Stephanie Kalu (11.35s), and home-based duo of Aniekeme Alphonsus (11.61s) and Isoken Igbinosun (11.62s), have run faster than Udo-Gabriel this year.
Unlike last year when she only competed in the 100m at the National Trials, the ARCO-sponsored athlete will be going for the sprint double this time around, having been ranked 8th in the 200m with her time of 24.26s, which qualified her for the ongoing African U-20 Championships in Algeria.
16-year old Chiamaka Egbochinam is another MoC athlete that has been listed to compete in the sprint double, having won Bronze at the AFN/MoC National U-18 Championships, and double Bronze at the 2016 National Youth Games (NYG) in Ilorin.
Multiple medallist at the 2017 Nigeria University Games (NUGA), Moyosore Badejo will also do the 100m/200m, while Ifunanya Muoghalu will compete in the 100m.
Glory Nyenke will run in the 200m/400m in Abuja after making the list in both events. Her time of 24.73s in the 200m saw her qualify for the African U-20 Championships, while she claimed Bronze in the 400m at the National U-20 Championships. She will be joined by teammate Blessing Obarierhu in the 400m.
ARCO-sponsored Jeremiah Jakpa is the highest ranked MoC male athlete going to the All-Nigeria Track and Field Championships. The 19-year old is ranked 10th nationally in the 100m and comes with a PB of 10.70s, which he will be aiming to lower in Abuja.
Edwin will be making a return to the National Trials after his maiden outing last year, and will once again race in the 100m.
17-year old Bowofoluwa Egbeyemi will be looking forward to rubbing shoulders with his seniors when he gets on the track to compete in the sprint double, following his impressive outing at the National U-18 Championships last month where he claimed Bronze in the 100m.
2015 fastest school boy in Lagos State, Eseroghene Oguma has been listed in the 200m/400m and will be hoping to better his times in both events. The National U-20 Bronze medallist in the 200m will be joined by teammate Segun Akhigbe in the 400m.
Thanks to Eroton E & P (www.erotonep.com) who will be sponsoring MoC Athletes and its media team to the 2017 All Nigeria Track and Field Championships in Abuja.
