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Tag Okpekpe International Road Race

Sport

Bahraini athlete wins Okpekpe 10km road race

Athletes
By Monday Ajogun
Okpekpe (Edo), May 25, 2019 (NAN) Fikadu Dawit, a Bahraini athlete, on Saturday won the seventh edition of the Okpekpe International 10km Road Race at Okpekpe in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo.

Dawit emerged the winner of the race’s 2019 edition with a time of 29 minutes three seconds to claim the 20,000 dollars prize money.

Berehanu Tsegu from Ethiopia came second, returning after 29 mins four secs for a 13,000 dollars cash prize.

John Lotiang of Kenya was third with 29 mins 17 secs for a 9,000 dollars prize money.

Dawit who won the male category tagged “Elite men athletes’’ said he was very delighted to have emerged the overall winner of the competition.

Lliya Mwanta from Kenya won the elite female athletes category with 33 mins 14secs and was followed by Tuitoek Jepchir from Kenya who returned 33 mins 18secs.

Kasegn Asefa from Ethiopia emerged third with 33 mins 31 secs.

The winner of the female elite category was awarded 20,000 dollars and the second-placed athlete 13,000 dollars, while the third place winner got 9,000 dollars.

The Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, who also participated in the Very Important Person (VIP) category, commended the organisers of the competition for the improvement.

Also speaking, Edo’s Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, applauded the organisers for their efforts in trying to upgrade the competition to a gold medal event. (NAN)
AJOM/OLAL
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Dalung canvasses for more sponsorship for Okpekpe Road Race

Sponsorship
By Joy Odigie
Okpekpe (Edo), May 12, 2018 (NAN) The Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung on Saturday said there was the need for more corporate bodies to sponsor the Okpekpe 10 km international road race.

Dalung, while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at Okpekpe in Edo, said this was necessary if the country must reposition itself in long distance races.

He said the outcome of the sixth edition was tremendous and more sponsorship was needed to take the race to the next level because government cannot do it alone.

“The Okpekpe race is advancing. We have witnessed a large contingent of participants this year, especially young Nigerians.

“We are on silver level of the race now and this new level was due to the level of preparedness and advancement in the race.

“If we continue this way, it is going to be impressive because there is a huge sports economy hidden here and this can be converted to employment for our youths,” the minister said.

He commended the organisers on the facilities put in place for the race, adding that this was the right way to go to encourage grassroots sports.

Speaking on the rain which started 20 minutes into the race, Dalung said the rain was a natural phenomenon which was unavoidable.

“Except we shift the race to the latter part of the year. But we cannot guarantee that it will not rain then too.

“The rain added colour to the race and spurred more people to do better,” he said.

NAN reports that it was the first time it would be raining during the annual international road race which holds in Okpekpe in the Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo.(NAN)
OOJ/JI/OLAL
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(Editing by Joseph Idika and Olawale Alabi)