By Onochie Anibeze
My target is to win a medal at the next Olympics and I’ll be working hard towards that.”

This was the comment of Regina George, Nigeria’s 400m runner at the Moscow World Championships where she raced up to the semifinals. Regina is based in the United States and she has been returning fairly good times lately.

Regina George

She was one of the only four Nigerians to compete at the Moscow World Championships with A standard, the rest being Ajoke Odumosu, Gloria Asunmu and of course Blessing Okagbare who won silver and bronze medals from Long Jump and the 200m.

Regina may achieve her dream if all she will require to win medal at the Olympics will be financial support.

Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the sports loving governor of Delta State, who ensured that Blessing Okagbare won a medal at the World Championships, has pledged to extend tremendous support to

Regina George. Okagbare, while dedicating her medals to the governor in Moscow said that Uduaghan made her to remain in the sport after the London Olympics when she failed in the 100m after a huge promise. The governor has been supporting her with training grants and other necessities.

“Uduaghan has noticed the potential in Regina George and will extend a lot of support to her too. He feels that if well supported and her training and programming go well, she can win a medal in Rio,” Athletics federation of Nigeria President, Chief Solomon Ogba has said.

Uduaghan monitored the performance of Nigerian athletes in Moscow and was awed by Regina’s performance in the semifinal of the 4x400m relay when she ran the race of her life, taking the baton in the 4th place but ending up second.  After the first and second legs wobbled, Omorola Omotosho paced well, overtaking two athletes before Regina finished amazingly. In the final, Omotosho couldn’t re-enact what she did in the semifinal and only Regina ran a great race but others had blwon the race and Nigeria placed 6th.

“It will be fantastic for her to have support from the Governor,” coach Gabriel Okon said yesterday, adding “Regina is an Olympic Games medal potential. Track and field runs in their blood. Her father, Phillip ran 400m, 800m and even cross country. He came to sprints and beat people.

He was such a great sportsman that when he went into football he was so good that he even played club football before he relocated to the United States where he resides till date. I got Regina to run for Nigeria and Phillips obliged. With Uduaghan’s support, something is coming, you can be sure,” Okon said.

Uduaghan, it is on record, paid training grants to some elite Nigerian athletes before the London Olympics.