Women’s 100m gold medalist in the T11 event at the 1st West Africa Para-Games in Abeokuta, Taiwo Ruqiyat Sulaiman has appealed for better support of visually challenged athletes like herself.
Sports247 reports that, while explaining that T11 stands for ‘totally blind female athlete on the track,’ Sulaiman confessed that the task of showcasing her talent has not been easy.
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She, however, expressed optimism that the gold medal she won on Wednesday in The Rock City will open big doors of opportunity for her.
“This gold medal means a lot to me because it can bring more opportunities for me. It also gives me more boldness, courage, and confidence.
“It gives me extra determination and encouragement to keep on aiming for better things ahead of me,” Sulaiman disclosed.
The excited athlete also revealed that, before joining the Nigerian team to Abeokuta for the games, she put all her trust in God to guide her towards a remarkable achievement, which she is happy to have gained.
“I always believe that all power belongs to God, and I believed before coming here that He will not forsake me.
“I am happy that He did not forsake me. He crowned my efforts with this gold medal,” Sulaiman rejoiced.
She then turned her focus on the standard of the competition and praised the organisers for doing a good job but charged them to do much better next time out.
Sulaiman added, “The competition was wonderful and very nice, but I believe the next one will be better than this. As for me personally, my next target is to be at the Commonwealth Games.
“After that, I want to be at the Olympics, Africa Games and World Championship; but I need a lot of support to achieve all of these targets.
“Unfortunately for us here in Nigeria, the totally blind athletes are really going through a lot of difficulties. I want to use this opportunity to beg Nigeria’s sports officials and federation to do more for us.”
Sulaiman concluded with a promise that she and other visually challenged athletes would show their deepest gratitude to people who help them get along in their efforts at becoming relevant to Nigeria through sports.
“We will surely appreciate it if they help us more in order for us to overcome our difficulties. We blind athletes are lagging behind in Nigeria.
“Our biggest areas of need are especially regarding attending competitions outside the country. We also need the provision of better welfare packages for us.
“If the Nigeria Para-athletics Committee can look into our challenges and help us tackle them, we will truly appreciate their efforts,” the amiable athlete reassured.
