September 10, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Patience Daylop provided a bright spot for her country on Saturday, at the second Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km road race, finishing third in the women’s category to stop a Kenyan podium sweep.
Cheered on by the massive crowd in front of the Alake of Egba’s Palace, the race’s finish line, Daylop crossed in 36 minutes 31 seconds to finish third. She credited the crowd’s support for inspiring her best performance yet, saying she could have done even better with a stronger start. “I’m so happy to be among the elite winners here. I promise to train even harder for the next race in Abuja,” vowed Daylop in her post-race comments.
Kenya’s Shamila Kipsiri won the women’s race in 32:22, followed by compatriot Viola Sepkosgei in 34:34. Joining Daylop in the Nigerian women’s top three were Deborah Pam (37:02) and Abiye David (37:31).
Meanwhile, it was business as usual in the men’s category as Kenyan runners dominated, with Peter Mwaniki first in 28:14, Kipyeko Kenedy second in 29:29, and Kibii Frederick third in 30:21. The top Nigerian men were Francis James (31:08), Stephen Joshua (31:30), and Emmanuel Gyang (32:07). The elite category winners received cash prizes, with Mwaniki taking home $5,000 for first place. The top three Nigerian men and women also earned prize money, led by N1 million for James and Daylop.
Race organiser, Bukola Olapade, said he was thrilled by the turnout and talent on display at the event: “Whenever this sort of thing comes to your town, knowing that you grew up on this street, and you see young stars enjoying themselves, it is always very gratifying. So, I am truly glad that on a day we are celebrating our monarch, we are also having the opportunity to enjoy a race of this nature with beautiful music, food everywhere and people just coming to feel good.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
