AYG 2018: Jegede Sets Sights On Victory

Posted on June 19, 2018

IKPO IGBINOBA/Lagos

National karate coach, Dave Jegede has a clear ambition as he puts sixteen youngsters (boy and girls) through the grind for the 3rd Africa Youth Games billed for July 17- July 27 in Algiers, the Algerian capital.

The ambition is for his team to raid and top the medals table in the martial art event of the continental showpiece.

Tall ambition for the Nigerian coach whose charges will face a stiff opposition from the power bloc of karate in the Maghreb.

But Jegede is not in the least intimidated by what the records are saying; he’s supremely confident that his team will do well and tear the record book into shreds.

He declared in a chat with PM Express in Lagos after a training session “We are going to the Africa Youth Games to win, we are not going there to make up the numbers”.

Jegede who doubles as the technical director of the Karate Federation of Nigeria(KFN) dismissed the age-old saying that participating in games is more important than winning.

According to him “Participation in the Africa Youth Games is very important because it is developmental since it’s targeted at athletes who are under-18”.

“But the ultimate dream of every coach and athlete is to put up a podium performance, that is winning medals”.

“It’s with this winning mindset that we (my karatekas and I )will be storming Algeria”, he enthused.

Jegede’s dream is not mere wishful thinking. He’s pursuing his dream with vigour, taking his karatekas through drills both in kata and kumite twice daily at the multi-purpose Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos to put them in fine fettle for the African challenge.

Jegede is not just upbeat about the quality of karatekas in the camp which will run for six weeks but also their response to the drills.

According to him “The boys and girls in camp are the best around based on their performances at the National Youth Games of last year where they were discovered.

“Apart from their quality”, he continued “I am also excited about how they are responding to the training.

” They inspire a lot of confidence and I am certain, they will do well”

Though, determined to make an impact at the quadrennial games, Jegede said he won’t take overage karatekas to Algiers.

He maintained “Even though, our dream is to dominate the games, I’ll not travel with overage karatekas.

“My team will have only athletes who are 17 years and below which is the age requirement for the games”.

Jegede stressed “We will never cheat to win, we will win fair and square” adding “our country, Nigeria is blessed with talents in every age category and in every sport”.

Meanwhile, the KFN has put together a blueprint aimed at revolutionising Nigerian karate.

Jegede revealed that the federation is interfacing with stakeholders to have karate featured in upcoming National Polytechnic Games and National Secondary Schools’ Sports.

“We’re going to spread the karate gospel to the grassroots, secondary schools and polytechnics by having it feature as an event in the polytechnic games and school sports.”

In fact, a lot of talents would be discovered from these games”.

Jegede also spoke of plans by the federation to organise workshops targeting students with a view to getting new practitioners into the sport.

In spite of its history which predates the birth of the KFN in 1992 and a deluge of talents yearning to be harnessed, Nigerian karate has failed to join the big league even on the continent.

No thanks to a succession of ill-equipped administrators who called the shots in the Karate Federation of Nigeria since it was inaugurated in 1992 by then Sports Minister Major General Yohanna Kure.

However, the new board of the federation which came on stream in June last year seems to be charting a new course.

In one year, the board which is headed by Mr Silas Agara, who is also the deputy governor of Nassarawa state has roused a near moribund sport back to life.

And with the sport making its debut in the Olympics in Tokyo 2020, the KFN has to trigger a paradigm shift from its uninspiring past if Nigerian karate must be on the big stage in the orient in two years time.