2012 London Olympics team Nigeria captain promises lots of medals

The captain of Team Nigeria track and field team currently training in Atlanta, United States, Saul Weigopwa, has assured Nigerians that the team will not only win medals in all the relay events at the London 2012 games, he assured that many of the athletes, including himself, would make the finals of their events.

Weigopwa, an Olympics bronze medallist, in a statement from Atlanta revealed that the coaching tutorials they are receiving from the new national athletics coach, Innocent Egbunike would bring out the best in most of the athletes.

“The training is tough, but we all love it, if we had been training like this in the last few years, I personally would achieve more on the track, and I could have won an individual level medal at the global level long before now”.

Weigopwa revealed that Egbunike’s training is like a marriage of sports science and inspirational speeches,
“Everything is scientific, you are to follow a laid down plan which could not be altered. Daily, there are inspirational speeches from motivational speakers, pastors and Egbunike himself. Then we are all on the same level, the coach and the athletes, we all do the same thing on and off the track”.

The captain of Team Nigeria posits that the only way they could repay Nigeria for the huge financial investment in the team is to win medals in London,

“With the way we are training now, I can assure you that all the relays team would win medals in London. We just need to perfect the technical aspect as a team, but we would all be running well with the training we are doing now, once the technical aspect is perfect, we could win four relay medals. But personally, I know that with this training, I will not only run a new personal best this year, I will make the finals of the Olympics in the men’s 400m, and once am in the finals, anything is possible, I could win a medal. This is our toughest training ever; all the athletes are focused and ready for London”.

Weigopwa on behalf of his colleagues thanked the Honourable Minister of Sports and Chairman National Sports Commission (NSC) Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi and the NSC for making it possible for them to camp and train in Atlanta, “the only way we can repay the Minister and top officials at the NSC and Nigerians generally is to win medals in London and we promise not to disappoint” concludes Weigopwa.

Nigerian Tribune