By Patrick Omorodion
Former African queen of the tracks, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi has showered encomiums on current Africa fastest woman and compatriot, Blessing Okagbare for her feat of garnering three gold medals at the Africa Athletics Championships which ended in Nairobi, Kenya yesterday.

Okagbare

Onyali-Omagbemi who spoke to Sports Vanguard on phone from Abuja said once again Nigerian women came to the rescue of the country, winning medals to remove shame from the eyes of the citizens.

“Once again it is women to the rescue, I am really excited and happy for the girls for the gold medals. I expected the men to also play their part so that we could be on top again but it is not so. Once the sprints which is our strength are over, we are in danger,”she said.

She said because the country was not strong in the other technical events like the jumps and middle distances races, she was hoping the athletes would have held on in the sprints but said the girls did her proud.

Apart from the gold medals which Okagbare won in the 100m, long jump and 4x100m relay, Nigeria also won gold through Seun Adigun in the 100m hurdles for women as well as Oke Tosin in the men’s triple jump.

On the championship’s women’s 100m record  of 11.05 secs which she set in Dakar, Senegal in 1998 which was lowered by Okagbare in Nairobi to 11.03 secs, Onyali-Omagbemi said she was happy that it was broken by her compatriot.

“Records come and go, it was meant to be broken. I am happy that it came from my country  girl. She is one of my prodigies,” said Onyali-Omagbemi who served in the Sports Thematic Group of the Vision 20:2020 Committee set up last year by the Federal Government to project into the future for the country.