An eight-year old gymnast, Adila Adedeji, on Saturday apologised to the Kwara people for not winning a gold medal at the just concluded African Junior Gymnastics Championship International in South Africa.
The Silver medalist tendered the apology to the people in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
Adedeji said she would work harder in the next international event to make the state and the country proud.
Adedeji won a silver medal in the floor level in the competition in Pretoria in South Africa.
She said gymnastics was an amazing sports for every children to have an experience of the sport.
She said: “I dedicate this medal to my country Nigeria.
“I won silver medal in the floor level in South Africa.
“Tony International Gymnastics is a place to be for any child that loves sports.
“I’m looking forward to better days ahead to win gold medal in an international competitions.”
Adedeji’s mother, Fatima Sidi-Ali, said all the gymnasts made them proud in the competition in South Africa.
Sidi-Ali said: “As parents we are proud of them (gymnasts).
“I am happy to see my daughter doing well in gymnastics.
“I will like to tell parents to encourage their children in doing the sport.
“We (parents) should look into our children and find out what aspects of sport they are passionate about and then give them all the support they need to go about it.
“I will continue to give my daughter, Adila, the necessary support she needs to excel in sports.”
On her part, Amaka Onusiriuka, the mother of Stephanie Onusiriuka, who won gold medal in the championship, said she was happy with the performance of her daughter.
Amaka said Stephanie received support from the ministry because she is one of the beneficiaries of talents hunt programme introduced to athletes by Sunday Dare, the Minister of of Youth and Sports Development.
She said: “I thank the Minister Sunday Dare for this great privilege given to my Stephanie.”
She also advised parents and guardians to allow their kids to do any sport they liked.
She said: “There are different sports in the country.
“They should endeavour to allow them to pick any sport of their choice and they should support them and the sky is the limit for them.”
Onusiriuka returned all the glory to God for winning a gold medal in the championship.
She said: “The challenges I encountered during the competition in South Africa is that the competition was very hard and tough.
“I also saw lots of high training facilities, which we don’t have in Nigeria.
“I want to tell TIG to keep on improving with the club.
“The Club has really helped me to improve a lot.
“In the nearest future, I want to see my self in the next World Championship and Commonwealth Games.”
She said that her next target was to win another gold medal in the upcoming all Africa Games in Ghana.
NAN reports that nine Gymnasts from TIG Club represented the country in the two-day Junior African Gymnastics in Pretoria in South Africa from August 12 to 13
They won seven medals: Five gold, one silver and one bronze.
NAN reports that Onusiriuka got N1 million and free flight tickets from Air Peace.
She won gold in the 2021 National Sports Festival in Edo State.