Olalekan Soetan, a statistician in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, has tipped Nigeria and South Africa to excel at the upcoming Asaba 2018 Confederation of African Athletics Senior Athletics Championships.
Soetan told the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Lagos that his projection was based on the strong showing of the two countries in recent international meets.
The championships which are scheduled for August 1 to August 5 in Asaba, will feature no-fewer than 473 male and 400 female athletes from over 25 countries.
The leading countries like South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya are all presenting large squads, as they move to consolidate their dominance on the continent.
He said: “The African championships is going to be a straight battle between South Africa and Nigeria for sure.
“They are ahead based on their current top athletes’ overall performances, but we are closing in, and that’s the truth.’’
He added that Ese Brume’s performance at the just-concluded Jamaican Invitational competition which held on May 19, was an indication that she would do well at the championships.
He said: “Brume’s performance of 6.82m is no surprise at all.
“That she opened her season on a very high-note can only mean she is ready to go over 7m at the African championships in her home state.’’
The statistician said that for athletes to perform excellently in any competition, there was need to get them well motivated.
He said: “The final results will largely depend on how athletes are motivated to deliver their very best.
“Money should be disbursed to at least 100 top athletes for their preparations.
“I don’t believe in long camping, therefore, I would love to see more Nigerian athletes go out to compete in international meets.
“Not training and no competitions to showcase what they have in stock is not the best way to prepare.’’
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