Nwokocha nicks  sprint double

By Tunde Liadi in Benin

Sprint sensation Grace Nzubechi Nwochocha of Delta State  has booked her place in the Olympic Games in the 200m women after cruising to a  gold medal finish  with a time of 22.79 seconds.

She thus ensured she won the sprint double having emerged as the best woman at the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival following  her pole position finish in the  100m.

It was a keenly contested 200m final but Nwokocha just did enough to defeat Tima Godbless of Bayelsa and Praise Ofoku also of Delta State who finished with silver and bronze medals with a time of 23.65secs and 23.74 secs in that order.

Meanwhile, Edo and Delta have won the 4x100m relay gold medals for the men and women of the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival.

Enoch Adegoke and Alaba Olukunle Akintola who both won the 100m and 200m respectively inspired Team Edo to the 4x100m relay with a time of 39.76. Team Delta (39.87 secs) and Team Lagos (39.99 secs) finished with silver and bronze medals.

In the women’s 4x100m relay Ese Brume, Praise Idamadudu, Praise Ofoku and Oluwakemi Francis guided Delta to another gold medal. They clocked 44.37secs.

The Delta quartet beat the battling Lagos with Joy Gabriel, Moyosore Badejo, Okoronkwo Precious and Balikis Yakubu to the second spot and a silver medal to the bargain with a time of 45.01 secs. Bayelsa bagged the bronze medal.