Former Nigeria sprinter, Deji Aliu, has said Nigerians should not expect much from the country’s athletes going for the World Championships in Beijing, China. Speaking with Saturday Telegraph in Warri during the National Trials, the Athens 2004 Olympic Games bronze medalist said the chances of Nigerian athletes making any impact at the championships were slim if the performance of other competitors from around the world was put into consideration. “It is sad commenting on Nigerian chances because we have a very sad situation at hand,” Aliu said.
“I don’t want to talk about chances because we don’t really have any, but I will advice the athletes that qualified to go there and work hard. “I just pray that they get the strength and push to withstand what they are going to face in Beijing. But for chances, I don’t know.”
He said the problem of Nigerian athletics was a failure to move with the tide in the world. According to him, track and field has evolved all over the world but Nigeria has failed to improve on past achievements. The former junior champion said: “Track and field has changed, technology has entered, so many things have evolved compared to what we had in the past. “But here in Nigeria we are yet to move with the times and until we embrace development, it might be difficult for us to perform well at major championships.”
No comments:
Post a Comment