Author: The Nation

Lagos will slug it out with Gombe and Kano for the top prize in the basketball event of the 2020 National Sports Festival in Benin City.

With five teams competing for honours, games were played in a round robin format to give all teams equal chances of fighting for the gold, silver and bronze medals.

Gombe who fell to FCT who hosted the last edition of the festival held in 2018, came back stronger to erase all doubts with three wins so far and a last game against Lagos today.

In their first game, Gombe led by Coach Abdulrahman Mohammed left nobody in doubt about their intention of going a step further than their 2018 achievement after defeating Kano state 66-59 points

They followed in similar fashion defeating host-Edo 68-60 points as they followed up with another win against Kwara state, 76-56 points.

For Kano, they bounced back easily against Edo recording an emphatic 77-57pts victory before another 94-66pts win against hapless Kwara state.

Although it was a close game, Kano emerged victorious 89-86pts to record their third victory in four games.

Lagos defeated Kwara (103-52), Edo (75-60) and lost to Kano with a make or mar game against Gombe on the last day which will technically be the competition’s decider.

In the event that teams are tied on the same points at the end of the games, points differences will be adopted while head-to-head will be the last option to determine the top three teams.

In the women’s event, Lagos will battle Bayelsa in the final at 4pm today, Emotan College, Wire Road, Benin.

By Oluwamayomikun Orekoya

Efe Ajagba started his 2021 fight debut with a bang on Saturday night, stopping Brian Howard with a dangerous right hand to the ear in round 3 of their heavyweight clash, to add another knockout record to his professional boxing career.

It was the 12th knockout win in 15 fights for the former Olympian since he turned pro in 2017.

The Nigerian timed Howard and countered him with the right hand for a vicious 3rd Round KO leaving the 40 year-old sprawled on the canvas in front of a sold-out crowd at Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“It feels really good,” Ajagba said after the fight. “I listened to the corner, they told me to start to the body & then go to the head. When I started with the jab to the body, it caused him to drop his hands. Then came the right hand.” he added.

By Olalekan Okusan with agency report

Former Italian international Luigi Cagni believes Victor Osimhen possesses the quality to become one of the best in the world.

Osimhen who netted Napoli’s second goal in their 2-0 away win over Sampdoria in the Serie  yesterday,  had scored twice in the last three games for coach Gennaro Gattuso’s side.

Cagni, a former coach of Brescia told Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli yesterday that with steady improvement, the Nigerian can rival some of the best in the world.

“From the first time I saw Victor Osimhen I noticed an extraordinary and very strong player from all points of view. It is a great investment, it costs a lot but it will give the right satisfactions in due course, I don’t think so. I’m wrong. Every time I see him play, I notice something different and from my point of view is complete in every respect.

“He has to learn and improve on the mental and physical level. It will become one of the best in the world,” he said.

On Osimhen’s performance in Napoli’s 2=1 away loss to Juventus last week, Cagni said: “I can’t watch him, it’s absurd to see defenders in the area all looking at the ball and no one cares about the opponent’s attacker.”

By Tunde Liadi, Benin

North Central and South-South regions sparkled  in the Weightlifting event of Edo 2020 by carting away five gold medals available in the 55kg, 61kg, and 67 kg for men as well as in the women’s 45kg and 49kg.

In the 55kg men, Taju Giwa of Delta State lifted 218kg in the snatch and clean & jerk to win the gold medal while Kaduna’s Elijah Joshua finished with a silver medal with a lift of 212kg. Oluwaseun Sunday of Ondo State ended with a bronze medal with a lift of 212kg also.

In the 61kg for men also, Niger state’s Emmanuel Appah struck a gold medal with a combined lift of 257kg in the snatch and clean & jerk. Elechi Kara (Bayelsa) and Tuesday Emmanuel (Lagos) lifted 247kg and 230kg to finish second and third respectively.

Edidiong Umofia of Akwa Ibom also won a gold medal in the 67kg for men with a combined lift of 285kg while Adedapo Adedeji Delta) and Elijah Ajibade grabbed silver and bronze medals with a lift of 278kg and 222kg in that order.

Despite claiming one silver with five athletes that competed in the judo event of the ongoing 20th National Sports Festival tagged Edo 2020, the chairman of the Lagos State Judo Association Sheriff Hammed believes the new board is poised to revive the fortune of the sport.

Speaking on the backdrop of the silver medal won by Adebukola Adeyanju in the -78kg after losing to her Delta State counterpart in the final, Hammed believes the association would work to groom more athletes like Adeyanju that will do the state proud in subsequent tournaments.

“I must say that the judokas did not perform badly in Edo as we had one silver from the five athletes that featured in the event,” he said.“ The performance could have been a better but there was a drastic reduction in the number of athletes in judo than other sports due to COVID-19 protocols with our  entries  reduced from 14 to five.

“With this outcome from Edo 2020, the association will go back to the drawing board by looking at the lapses and find lasting solutions to the dwindling fortune of the sport in Lagos.

“I see the festival as a test run for the athletes who have been match-rusty for over three years. We hope to put many things in place to boost the athletes,” he added.

Bayelsa  State’s  star swimmer  at the on-going National Sports Festival  in Benin City, Ifiezibe Gagbe,  would be N.5m richer courtesy of the Chief Executive Officer of Monimichelle, Ebi Egbe.

Gagbe  won eight  gold medals in the swimming events of   Edo 2020 to the  delight of Egbe , a former sports commissioner in Bayelsa State.

Egbe  stressed that with the performance of Gagbe,  Bayelsa  State can rule the world in anything water sport if the right things are done and the needed facilities put in place.

In his words: “We can rule the world at the Olympics in Canoeing and Rowing because we have the best Regatta pavilion and fantastic lake in West Africa for training in Bayelsa state, “ explained Egbe. “Oxbow lake and regatta centre pavilion in Yenagoa is the best canoeing and rowing training centre in West Africa.

“ I’m also happy today because I did contribute my little quota to the fine run of Bayelsa in Edo 2020. The facilities I constructed and donated to my state saw our athletes training at home in our dear state for the first time ever, before storming Benin for the  national Sports Festival.”

Egbe was quick to add that he is happy Bayelsa is being run by a governor who loves and knows sports inside out having served as a sports commissioner before now.

“Diri understands and loves sports, he was a sports commissioner in my state and with that background he knows what to do to take Bayelsa sports to the next level,” Egbe noted.

The executive governor of Ogun State  Dapo Abiodun will be the special guest of honour at the upcoming 2020/21 Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership Super Six to be  held between  April 19 and 25 at the Otunba Dipo Dina International Stadium in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun state.

The elite football showpiece will confirm the league champions and confer ticket on the team to represent the country at the maiden CAF Women’s Champions League later in the year.

The gladiators at the prime football fiesta are Bayelsa Queens, Delta Queens, Rivers Angels, Edo Queens, FC Robo Queens and Sunshine Queens.

Champions at the NWFL Super Six will first play in the regional WAFU B play-off while the eventual winner of the zonal play-off will go ahead to be the zone’s flag-bearers at the final tournament.

But with  one additional slot given to the zone that produced the  winner  of the last edition of  the AFCON for women, Nigeria that  was champions in Ghana in 2018 might  get two slots  at the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League later should her representative  emerge as zonal champions.

Meanwhile, the neutral setting is quite tempting for the competitors to once again assert and confirm their supremacy over other challengers in the round leather game.

After 13 weeks of action packed league competition, Bayelsa Queens showed class by leading the 14-team top-flight with 31 points two ahead closest challengers and neighbours, Delta Queens. Rivers Angels closed up on the third spot on 28 points, and Edo Queens and FC Robo Queens came strongly on 23 and 22 points respectively.

Sunshine Queens have to endure a harrowing wait for the last matchday clash against former champions, Nasarawa Amazons to confirm her claim to the last Super Six ticket.

The turf at Dipo Dina Stadium, Ijebu-Ode could just be the right setting to prove once and for all especially now that the stake is quite high who among the six combatants is the best in the land.

Ijebu-Ode is almost becoming the choicest host city of late as the serene city is one of the choice venues for the NWFL Nationwide league competition expected to kick-off on Monday, April 11.

His Excellency Governor Abiodun  is expected to lead other state dignitaries within and outside the government circle to grace and drum supports for the football feast as well as the women’s game generally.

Team Rivers yesterday  increased their medal haul at the on-going National Sports Festival tagged Edo 2020 in Benin, Edo State.

It was a commanding victory for Team Rivers in the finals of the Men’s Beach Volleyball as they defeated Team Imo 2-0.

Chidiebere Okeke and Emenike Ezike showed class in the two sets leading from start to finish as they won by 21-16.

Speaking after the victory, Okeke told our correspondent that it was a great game against tough opponent but happy winning the title.

“I am happy that we won the gold,” he said. “As a team, we have been working hard and getting the gold was the icing on the cake after so much hard work from training to competition proper.

“I want to use this opportunity to appreciate the state government for the support during the time we were in camp and also since we arrived for the festival.”

Apart from the Beach Volleyball, Kemi Oluwasegun also won Gold in the Wheelchair Tennis as the state team also won the T 11200m women gold medal.

In the women’s Beach volleyball, it was Team Delta that won the gold after defeating Team Edo in the final as the bronze medal went to Team Kaduna who also won the men’s bronze medal.

It was an elated Chidi Okezie that rushed to the tape sideline of the track after winning the 400m gold medal at the 2020 National Sports Festival in Benin.

During the last edition in Abuja, the US-based athlete failed to get to the final and there was anxiety around his performance as he failed to win his heat.

He however came out smoking right from the block as he raced to a new Personal Best to win the title for Delta State.

In a tension-filled final, which provided a fitting climax to the great times we had witnessed on Day 1 and 2 inside a pumping Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, it was the Delta State athlete who delivered, claiming a decisive victory in 45.60secs, 0.48secs clear of Team Lagos’ Emmanuel Ojeli.

The third member of the ‘terrific trio’ Sikiru Adeyemi – who was the second athlete to run inside 46secs this year – had the consolation of snatching bronze in 46.51secs following a strong late surge.

Samson Nathaniel was further back with 47.18, taking 4th.

Meanwhile, The women’s 400m final provided an enthralling spectacle for the few fans at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium, and in a race that was billed as experience against youth, it was the youth that prevailed as Nse Uko Imaobong produced a rip-roaring victory over Patience Okon-George.

By Tunde Liadi, Benin

Edo Deputy Governor and Edo 2020 Local Organising Committee’s chairman, Philip Shaibu, is excited the state’s men and women’s football teams  will be contesting for the game’s gold medal matches today.

Edo state men’s team brushed aside the hard-fighting Team Imo 3-1 in a tough semi-final tie played at the Western Boys Secondary School pitch while  the Edo women’s team made it double final qualifications with a 1-0 win over Delta state.

Incidentally, the host will square up against Lagos teams in both the men’s and women’s final.

Meanwhile, Comrade  Shaibu praised the doggedness and fighting spirits of Imo team but stressed Edo deserve to be in the final.

“It was not an easy game.  The Imo team is a strong team and they are also very tactical. We played to instructions. The good news is that God gave us victory and it was injury free. I am so excited we are in the  football’s final matches,” Shaibu told journalists after the game.”Of course we need the gold. Edo needs the gold and by the grace of God we will get gold for the state. “

He added: ” It was a difficult match and even the Borno was not easy too. The good thing about this Sports Festival is that talents are being discovered. For  instance I already saw two players in the Imo side that should joining Bendel Insurance ahead of next season. It is all about talent hunt and developing sports.”