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Veteran Patience George and Samson Nathaniel clinched their first National Sports Festival titles in Asaba.
The men and women’s 400m final turned out to be first-time title victories for two of the best quarter milers in the country, as they sped to impressive times to be crowned National Sports Festival Champions in Asaba.
Seasoned professional Patience George made her intentions known of going all out for the title when she ran the fastest time of 53.03s in the heats and returned a time of 53.67s to win her semifinal race.
Then in the final, the Cross-Rivers athlete went all out, leaving nothing to chance, and crossed the line in 52.16s, her third fastest time this season, upgrading from her Silver medal-winning position in the last edition in Edo State.
Deborah Oke outran Queen Usunobun to a second-place place finish, clocking a Personal Best (PB) of 53.42s, and Usunobun, who had the fastest time in the semis, settled for third place in 53.66s.
George will be proud of her accomplishment, which completes her triumphs at the National level, considering she’s a five-time National Champion and has won continental and international medals for the country.
Consequently, Samson Nathaniel won his first NSF 400m title after finishing fourth at the 2018 and 2021 editions.
The Delta State athlete was unstoppable throughout the rounds, running the fastest times in the heats and semifinals, underlining his intentions of leaving no stone unturned to finally get his first Gold medal at the National Sports Festival.
He won the final battle in Asaba convincingly, clocking an impressive 46.08s, ahead of Johnson Nnamani (Bayelsa) with 46.28s and Sikiru Adeyemi (Oyo) third in 46.30s.
Meanwhile, Soudi Hamajam (Cross River State) won his second consecutive 3000m Steeplechase NSF title in a thrilling fashion, celebrating after he crossed the final hurdle towards the finish line, clocking a time of 9:16.57.
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