By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye and Mishael Emmanuel at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, South-South, Nigeria
It was a day of speed, belief and golden moments at the iconic Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, as the home of fast finishes witnessed another chapter in the 2nd Niger Delta Games.
The crowd, thrilled and excited, rose to its feet as Team Delta strode to multiple podiums, but none more dramatic than the men’s 100m final. Leading the charge for the state was an A+ performance from young sprinter, Samuel Chibueze Osama, who delivered Delta State's fourth athletics Gold.
Clocking a smart 10.41 seconds, he closed the race by a razor-thin margin, with Gift Bright of Akwa Ibom State placing second in a time of 10: 57 secs with fellow teammate, Saturday Godswill, taking the bronze in a time of 10:59s.
From the gun to the tape the win it was a flash of Faith, Fearlessness and Focus, fused together for the Delta flash.
In an exclusive interview with FIRST ZEALMEDIACAST BLOG, Osama stated that his performance was purely built on faith as much as training. He credited his coaches for sharpening race strategy, the state government for logistical backing, and the travelling fans whose presence was infallible.
“I was incredibly happy—honestly, I couldn’t believe it. Because, I was trailing even from the blocks by God’s grace, I managed to catch up and run past them. So I'm really happy and honestly still surprised.
“I had some expectations, but at the same time, I didn’t. My teammate in the final was in better shape than I was. Even during the trials, he performed better and beat me.
“But I relied on faith to keep pushing through, so for this one I'm really happy, I couldn’t have imagined standing on the top step when the year began, but God made it possible. Making the final was big, winning it is even bigger. I’m grateful to the Delta State government, my coaches, and my family; their belief pushed me over the line.”
Looking ahead, he stated that the regional victory is a launchpad, not a finish line. “This is only the beginning, I plan to go professional, today I celebrate, tomorrow we work harder. Nigerians will soon be seeing me at the national stage and by God's grace I will be at the national stage in one year and by that time I will be running sub-9 seconds.” he concluded.
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