13-year-old Okon wins 800m gold as Niger Delta Games gather pace
Day Two of athletics at the Niger Delta Games delivered more standout performances on Saturday in Benin City, with a 13-year-old emerging as one of the brightest stars of the competition. Hephzibah Okon stunned the crowd at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium by claiming gold in the women’s 800 metres. The teenager crossed the finish line in 2:18.83 seconds, holding off strong challenges from Godsmind Eteny of Cross River, who took silver in 2:19.01 seconds, and Delta’s Anochie Rejoice, who settled for bronze in 2:20.28 seconds. Proud father and daughter[Credit: NDG Media]Coached by her father, Coach Filipidis, a former athlete, Okon showed composure beyond her years, pacing the race intelligently before producing a strong finish down the home straight. Her victory adds to the growing list of young talents unearthed at the regional Games. Solomon Eloghosa[Credit: NDG Media ]In the men’s 800 metres final, Edo State’s Solomon Eloghosa delighted the home crowd with a commanding run to secure gold in 1:56.74 seconds. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1672626398022-0'); }); Samson Teibowei finished narrowly behind in 1:56.84 seconds to claim silver, while Timilehin Owolabi of Ondo took bronze in 1:57.71 seconds. Mary Innocent[Credit: NDG Media]The women’s 400 metres hurdles also produced a notable performance as 19-year-old Mary Innocent of Delta State ran a personal best of 59.87 seconds to clinch gold. Esther Ikechukwu of Imo (62.24s) and Emediong Sunday of Akwa Ibom (62.54s) completed the podium. Emmanuel Shakamomodu[Credit: NDG] MediaIn the men’s hammer throw, Emmanuel Shakamomodu gave Edo another gold medal, finishing ahead of David Bosa of Delta and Goodnews Musa of Rivers. READ ALSO: EPL Roundup: Eze, Gyökeres sink Spurs as Iwobi seals Fulham win The Niger Delta Games, sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission and organised by Dunamis-Icon Limited, bring together athletes from nine Niger Delta states competing in 16 sports. Designed to promote grassroots development and talent discovery, the Games continue to showcase emerging athletes who could form the backbone of future national teams. With more track and field events lined up, the competition in Benin City shows no signs of slowing down. Share this: Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Click to print (Opens in new window) Print