Anigbata, Adegoke, Uniport, Coach Are, Others Win Athletic Heat Awards
Posted on January 6, 2019
Coach Feyisetan Are (left] at the 2018 Athletic Heat Awards ceremony in Lagos
African triple jump champion, Grace Anigbata, silver medalist in the 4x100m at 2018 African Senior Athletics Championships, Enoch Adegoke, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, para athletics coach Feyisetan Are and others were the celebrated winners at the second Athletic Heat Awards held recently in Lagos.
Anigbata, a triple jump specialist and surprise winner at the African Senior Athletics Championships held in Asaba, Delta State in June, 2018 won the Breakout Athlete of the Year at the awards ceremony which took place at the Ultima Studio, Lekki, Lagos.
Adegoke won Athletic Heat Junior Male Athlete of Year award. Sprinter Adegoke started 2018 season on a good note, winning the Commonwealth Games trials in a then Personal Best of 10.30s. He went on to better the performance at the Commonwealth Games in Australia running a scorching 10.19s which is one of the fastest time by a Nigerian this season as only Divine Oduduru ran faster, He has equaled the times of both Seye Ogulewe and Egwero Ogho-Oghene.
Although listed to compete at the IAAF World Junior Championships, he missed the competition due to hitches. Enoch ran at the African Senior Athletics Championships winning Silver in the 4x100m final. The OAU student also clinched the 100m Gold and 200m Silver at the West African University Games in Nov 2018.
The para-athlete male award went to: Galadima Suwaibidu, who was the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion in the 100m T46 event. He defeated a stacked 100m line up to clinch the Gold in 11.16s.
Coach Aare won the Para-Coach of the Year award. He is a foremost Para-Powerlifting coach and has led Team Nigeria to victory on many occasions. His athletes; Paul Kehinde, Bose Omolayo and a host of other para athletes have World Record titles to their names.
Special Recognition awards went to the University of Port Harcourt among others.
Team Uniport was given an award for their consistent dominance when it comes to sports in universities both locally and internationally. They won the 2018 West African University Games in November and they boast of being SIX time Nigerian University Games champion as well as four time West African University Games Champions. The Award was received on behalf of Team Uniport, by the school’s Athletics Coach, George Obiano.
Special Recognition award was also given to Mrs Kudirat Akhigbe, a 400m Masters Athlete in W35 class. She was given the award for being the first Nigerian to win a medal at the World Athletics Masters Championships. The award was received on her behalf, lets welcome her son, Deji Akhigbe.
One of the organisers of the awards, Eseroghene Oguma said at the ceremony that “Athletic Heat is a media company set up by three young athletes; Toluwani Adebakin, Ruth Usoro and myself.
”We began operation in the second quarter of 2016 with a drive to change the thoughts of the general public about Track ‘N’ Field in Nigeria, promote Nigerian athletes and sport.”
“In 2018, we also started a new project called Athletics in Schools Program in partnership with Nigeria Athletics blog where in 2018 this year we toured CMS Grammar School and St Finbarrs College, both in Lagos preaching the message of combining education and sport. The first athlete we discovered, Benjamin Oshiafi was more of a footballer but after listening to words from Oyeniyi Abejoye who was our Poster athlete for the event, he took athletics more serious has now gone to win the 200m at Channels Athletics Competition. We hope to motivate more students to combine education and sport,” Oguma said.
Chief Mrs Mary Onyali, the first Nigerian to attend five Olympics sent her goodwill message, while a keynote speech was delivered by double Olympic medalist; Enefiok Udo-Obong.
PM EXPRESS reports that the Athletic Heat Awards was started in 2017 by three young athletes who has a desire to see Nigeria’s track and field history rewritten in gold. In 2017 they realized there was no recognition or rewards for medal-winning regular and para-athletes in Nigeria, and birthed the first Athletic Heat Track and Field awards.
Athletic Heat Awards has been the only Nigerian awards focused on home based regular and para track & field athletes.
The second Athletic Heat awards 2018 honoured and recognized athletes and coaches across nine categories – Male and Female in the Junior, Youth and Senior and also Coach of the year. Three special recognition awards went to two Para-Athletes and an outstanding Para-Coach.
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