As over 200 cyclists compete at the National Cycling Championship in Port Harcourt Saturday, a leading female cyclist in Nigeria, Ese Ukpeseraye is hoping to win the race.
The Delta-born who won a total of eight gold medals in the 21st National Sports Festival which Delta hosted for the first time in November 2022, said she’s happy returning to Port Harcourt to prove a point.
“I’m really excited going back to Port Harcourt because when I represented River State in 2018, we were not rewarded. Now I want to make my state (Delta) proud by winning the championship “, she said via a telephone conversation.
On her chances of warding off all opposition, Ukpeseraye who became the first Nigerian cyclist to qualify for the Olympics scheduled to hold in Paris in 2024, said she is preparing hard for the race
“No cyclist goes into a competition without preparing to face stiff opposition but I know I will do my best to win,” she said. “I am happy for the prize money (N600,000) which is the first of its kind.”