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Their partnership is the envy of many in the long distance race category. Both on and off the field, husband and wife – Emmanuel Gyang and Deborah Pam – are proof that hard work and consistency truly pays off. Nigeria stood in awe of this remarkable couple who both won National Titles in the men and women’s 5000m events, on Day 1 of the 2016 Nigerian Trials in Sapele, Delta State. The first on the track was the ever gracious Pam, who put quite the distance between her and her opponents, as she commanded the race from start to finish.

She crossed the finish line in a time of 17:23.50, ahead of Aderonke Olumudi of Lagos State and Elizabeth Nuhu, who both finished in a time of 17:38.06 and 17:44.20 respectively. However, Pam’s win did not come as a shock to anyone, because the resilient runner had won several marathons in Nigeria including the Splash FM Marathon and the Ibadan Marathon. Next on, was her husband Gyang, who put on a thrilling performance in the men’s 5000m event — racing to a time of 14:52.75, to win his first National Title.

Just like his wife, Gyang also dominated his race, putting a time-distance of about 11 seconds between him and second placed, Stephen Joshua. Speaking to MOC after the race, Gyang expressed his joy at the couple’s win after long months of hard training.