By Our Reporter
NIGERIA’S contingent to the 2018 Cadet World
Championships will on Monday, 2nd July, depart Lagos for Zagreb, Croatia –
venue of the competition.
Sportsbiz247.blogspot.com reports that the contingent, which is made up of two female wrestlers
and a coach, are scheduled to leave the Murtala Mohammed International Airport
by 8:45pm (local time) aboard a Turkish airline, and are expected to arrive
Zagred the next day for the competition which will run from 2nd to 8th July.
Reigning African champions, Sunmisola Balogun (65kg) and
Esther Kolawole (61kg), who both won gold at the 2018 African Championships in
Port Harcourt, are the two wrestlers hoping to make Nigeria proud at the event
designed for athletes between the ages of 15 and 17. They will be guided by
experienced head coach of the female national team, Purity Akuh.
The sensational Balogun will open her campaign on 4th
July after undergoing a compulsory medical test and weigh-in same day, while
impressive Kolawole will begin her quest for glory on 5th July.
It is the first Nigeria will be participating in the
Cadet World Championships since its inception in 1975.
Coach Purity informed that the wrestlers are
well-prepared for the championships, even as he expressed confidence in their
chances of excelling in Croatia.
“After the African Championships (in February), we
started preparations,” he said. “We have been working on how our athletes can
perform better at world level.”
The Delta State-born coach also highlighted some of the
benefits of the competition for the youngsters.
“I think it’s a very good opportunity for these two
athletes in terms of exposure and in terms of gaining more experience in their
career.
“I think it will
really help them, especially, Sunmisola, who has qualified for the Youth
Olympics (in Buenos Aires). It is going to be a very good opportunity for her
to be exposed and get more experience.”
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