Ofili’s 60m record thrills NSC organ

The National Sports Commission’s Elites Athletes and Podium Board has described as “fantastic” the 7.25m recorded by U.S.-based sprinter, Favour Ofili in the 60m final of the Olympic Development event.

Ofili, whose omission in the 100m event at the Paris Olympics Games sparked anger in the nation’s sports circle, placed second at the LSU Twilight competition, which was held at the Carl Maddox Field House, an indoor track and field facility located on the campus of Louisiana State University, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Friday.

Thelma Davies won the race in 7.23, but Ofili, who ran for the Tiger Olympians, gave a good account of herself. Interestingly, Ofili ran the fastest time in the qualifiers (7.26) ahead of Davies (7.27), giving hope of a possible sub-7.20 in the final.

Speaking to The Guardian, yesterday, the Director of the National Sports Commission’s Elites Athletes and Podium Board, Yusuf Ali, described Ofili’s 7.25m record as a “huge step.”

“I watched the race and I commend Ofili for such a brilliant start,” Ali said. “I am looking forward to seeing more great races from her this year.”  Ali revealed that the Elites Athletes and Podium Board had commenced its operations, saying: “We have started our operation, and one major step we took is to categorise Nigerian athletes into four groups. The likes of Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, Ofili Favour, and Blessing Oborodudu (wrestling) are among those in Category 1. We look at the performance of the athletes in categorising them. All our athletes, both home and abroad are in the four categories, and I am sure the NSC’s Elites Athletes and Podium Board is on the right path. Our duty is to ensure a sustainable scientific system for Nigerian athletes’ discovery and welfare for better podium performances.”

Ali hinted that six Nigerian athletes are being prepared to fly the country’s flag at the 2025 World Indoor Championships holding in China, from March 21 to 23.