2018 NSF: 11 Year Old Long Distance Runner, Ojurongbe, Eyes 800m Gold

A JSS II student of the Federal Government College Ilorin, Ayooluwa Ojurongbe, who will be competing in Saturday’s 800m race alongside well-versed athletes, is confident she will stun her opponents to a gold medal finish at the ongoing 2018 National Sports Festival in Abuja. For an 11-year-old, Ojurongbe’s courage is quite reassuring of Nigeria’s future in international long distance race events. To the youngster, who is a Let’s go, Girls scholar, competing alongside older more experienced athletes would be ‘fun’ and she is prepared to enjoy herself on the track.

“I wish to beat and shock everyone to the gold medal. If I do, that will be great. If I don’t I will not mind. Anyhow, my eyes are on the gold medal. “I am not and will not be intimidated by older athletes. These same factors of being an underdog is always my inspiration and strength anytime I run on the track. So, I believe I will definitely win the gold medal because that’s my target in Abuja. I did not come to look at the beauty of Abuja. I want to make a bold statement.” — Ayooluwa Ojurongbe

The Let’s go, Girls campaign is an initiative founded by veteran sprints queen, Mary Onyali, to support and train one million girls in sports. The campaign is dedicated to empowering girls through sport by leveraging on the power of play to build leadership and train them in decision making. So far, quite a number of young girls have benefited from the scholarship, of which Ojurongbe is one.   Featured Image Source: Gong News

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This article was first published on 14th December 2018
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