Adopt-A-Talent Athletes Sweat It Out At Summer Camp

Athletes of the Adopt-A-Talent Sports Programme have continued to sweat it out at their summer holiday camp with their coaches taking them on the rudiments of their various sports.

About 180 athletes are currently undergoing training at the camp which will end on Sunday, 16 September at the Nigerian Army Sports Centre, Myoung Barracks, Somolu, Lagos.

The athletes train at University of Lagos Sports Centre, Yaba College of Technology, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, and Jalisco Sports Centre, Oshodi.

Some of the coaches, who spoke on their experience with the budding athletes, said that the athletes are exhibiting potentials that would see them becoming world champions in their respective sports someday.

The sports they are taking intensive training sessions on are Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Football, Gymnastics, Judo, Karate, Swimming, Table Tennis and Volleyball.

Athletics coach, Uruemu Adu said he was marveled with the response of the athletes to training, adding that some of them have been selected to participate in this week’s All Comers Athletics Championship, which Lagos State Ministry of Sports planned to use to prepare the state’s athletes ahead of the National Sports Festival.

“Among the athletes that will take part in the two days All Comers tourney are Olowora Aminat, who is the national record holder in 5000 metres, Nkem Ezeala in 100m, Felix Asije in Triple Jump, Temidayo Osihinbanjo in Heptathlon, Precious Okoronkwo in Triple Jump and Johnson Akindunjoye in 400 metres and 800 metres,” Adu said.

Patrick Umoh, who is handling the gymnasts, said the athletes are having fun at the camp, adding that the management committee has made available quality equipment and materials that are assisting the coaches and enabling these young athletes  steadily adapt to training and improve their skills.

“The Adopt-A-Talent Sports Programme is the best thing Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola ever done to help these young stars. We are building them from the grassroots to the highest standard in the sport,” Umoh said.

Karate coach, Olushina John, who has been in the sport in the last 26 years, said most of the athletes have exceptional qualities that will help them in Karate.

“We are training these promising athletes rudiments of the sport and basic things for them be mentally balance in order to enhance their strength to fight,” he said.

Daniel Adekunle, who is assistant boxing coach to Joe Mensah, disclosed there are some outstanding young pugilists who he has identified.

“Boxers like Taiwo Abiodun in the 48kg, Rilwan Oladosu, who just came back from a bronze winning outing at a West Africa tournament recently, Mutiu Adebayo, a gold medal winner at the last sports festival are some of the boxers we have identified in the camp. Because these athletes are combining sports with their studies make their future very bright,” said Adekunle, who is the Chairman of Lagos Boxing Club Coaches Association.