No fewer than Seven Gombe State athletes that participated at the just concluded National U-18 and 20 junior Championship in Kaduna improved in their previous ratings.
One of the junior Athletes Ibrahim Abba Aliyu returned a time of 21:90 in the 200m boys final B to win the race.
According to the GAA media officer Inua Mohammed, Abba Aliyu outshined others to emerge the winner with a personal best of 21:90 secs.
His colleagues and coaches rejoiced with him for winning for the first time at such a high-profile and Challenging National Championship.
Enock Dabo, in the 200m finals placed 4th with a season-best as Taiwo Rebecca Ogundele placed 5th with a place in the national girls U-18 relay team, even as Blessing Ehi Ikpa competed in the 200m finals with an improvement in her previous personal best.
The Athletes however pure encomiums on the Chairman of the Gombe State Athletics Association Hon. Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe for his tenacity in making Athletes attend the National U-18 Junior Championship in Kaduna.
“Gombe State is usually absent at past competitions, we don’t usually attend, and that’s why we are backward and poorly rated at the national level”.
” With this performance, I’m proud to compete for Gombe State and other States have seen we are a force that is coming. If we can get more exposure, and more competition, some of us will excel more than our performance in Kaduna.
“It’s a junior National Championship, we have our eyes at the senior level, with good exposure, my colleagues and I would have built enough confidence to compete anywhere in the world, please help us thank our Chairman Hon. Ahmed Shuaibu,” says Abba Aliyu.
Speaking further, “The competition gave Gombe State contingent the opportunity to mix, interact and share ideas with the arm of gaining more experience from colleagues that are more exposed, it was a good Championship to us from Gombe State.
Earlier, owing to work in progress, the GAA Chairman, the creator of Child Athletes development from Local government to international in Gombe, said, the State may attend the Kaduna Championships as Observer, perhaps changed his mind and today, the exposure had paid off.
It’s also gratifying that two of the female Athletes have gained automatic admission to study in a Tertiary institution, the Army University in Biu, they are Blessing Ehi Ikpa and Taiwo Rebecca Ogundele.
Gombe State Athletes were rated well at The National U-18 and 20 Junior Championship owing to the performance of a few Athletes elated Gombe State Officials said with their average performance in Kaduna, more accomplishments would be attained at future meetings.
