Kunle ADELABU
-Oreyo Senior Grammar School, Igbogbo, emerges overall best
Ikorodu division is gradually moving towards bringing back the golden era when it dominated the sporting circle in the state and produced star athletes for many states across the country, as three schools from the division topped the medals table at the just concluded maiden edition of the Channels Television U-17 Track & Field Classics.
The 2-day track and field event, which held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere and organized by Channels Television, was a ‘Catch-them-young’ competition designed to discover and develop talents in both private and public schools across Lagos State.
For the track events (Male and Female), participating schools fielded athletes in 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 4 X 100 meters, 4 X 400 meters, 800 meters and Hurdles 400 meters.
For the field events (Male and Female), the students competed for medals in the Long Jump, Triple Jump and High Jump.
The event attracted over 1000 athletes from 52 Secondary schools.
Two public schools, Oreyo Grammar School and Ikorodu High School, Ikorodu, and four private schools, HOMAT Group of Schools, TINDIP, Temble and Babington College represented Ikorodu division at the track and field meet.
Oreyo Senior Grammar School in Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Ikorodu division, won four Gold medals and one Bronze to top the medals table, while the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, followed closely with three Gold, one Silver and one Bronze.
Two other schools from Ikorodu, Kingsfield College and TinDip College, emerged third and fourth best on the medals table. They won two Gold and two Silver and two Gold respectively.
Adedoyin Fatola of Oreyo Grammar, Igbogbo, returned the time of 23.2 and 50.8s in both 200m and 400m boy’s category respectively to claim two Gold medals He also emerged as the overall best athlete of the Classics while Chiemeka Ogbogun of St. Gregory’s College emerged the fastest athlete .
Chiemeka ran 11.8s to claimed Gold in the 100m boys category, while Benjamin Oshiafi of St. Finbarrs College, Akoka, Yaba and Ekene Ige Nwankwo of Babington College, Ikorodu, returned 11.9s and 12. 2s respectively to claimed Silver and bronze medals respectively.
It was also double medals for Miss Alimot Alowonle of Tin Dip College, Solomade, as she outran other girls in the 100m and 200m with time of 12.8s and 26.2s respectively to also win two Gold medals.
Other sterling performances on the track came from Kanyinsola Lawal of Springfield School who recorded 63.5s and Zainab Wahab of HOMAT School, who registered 65.0s to claimed 1st and 2nd positions in the 400m girls respectively.
Also, Zainab Wahab from Homat Group of Schools, who came second in the female category of the 3rd annual Shotobi Independence Day Mini-Marathon held in October in Ikorodu and being sponsored by Hon. Agunbiade, returned 2:39:78 to bagged Gold medal in the 800m girl’s event.
Kingsfield College team won Gold in the Girls’ 4x100m with 55.0s to beat Baptist Girls Academy with 55.3s and FGGL Ijanikin with 56.1s which won silver and bronze respectively.
Babington Macaulay, Adamo, Ikorodu, recorded 4:42.25s to win the Girls’ 4x400m, while State High School with 4: 49:86 and Greensprings School, Lekki, wth i4:52:20 won silver and bronze respectively.
It was the the athletes from the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, St.Gregory’s College and Apotolic Grammar School, who dominated the boy’s 4x400m as the schools returned 3:38:50s, 3: 42:29s and 3:45:97s to win gold, silver and bronze medals respectively in the final stage.
In the hurdle event, Abiola Adewuyi of Oreyo Grammar School won the Boys’ category as he recorded 60.5s. to beat Similoluwa Gbenle of Greensprings Lekki (61.9s) and Timilehin Arinola of Apostolic Church Grammar School (63.8s) who won Silver and Bronze respectively.
Oluwadara Goodluck of Greensprings School, Lekki, won the Girls’ Long Jump with a leap of 4.40m, while the Ikorodu girls, Stella John of Kingsfield College and Grace Owoniyi of Oreyo Senior Grammar School jumped 4.15m and 4.05m respectively to win the silver and bronze medals.
Meanwhile, Comrade Sesan Daini, the Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, while speaking with our reporter on phone, commended Oreyo Grammar School team for its great feat at the just concluded Channels Classics.
While stating that the young athletes have made Igbogbo proud by beating over 50 other participating schools in the competition, the Chairman assured that his administration is prepared to support the talented athletes to enable them realize their dreams in the track and field events.
He added that the team would be celebrated by the council to encourage them to go for greater performance.
