Sports

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Trials: Senegal, Ivory Coast Arrive Lagos For Invitational Relays

Published

4 years ago

June 17, 2021

Two out of the seven countries confirmed for the invitational relays scheduled as part of Nigeria’s Olympic trials have arrived Lagos for the event.

The two countries, Senegal and Ivory Coast came in Wednesday while the other five namely Zambia, Botswana, Cameroun, Benin Republic and Ghana are expected to jet in today.

The competition, holding at the Sports Ground of the Yaba College of Technology is one of the windows Nigeria and other African countries have to ensure their relay teams qualify for the relay events of the Tokyo Olympics following the cancellation of the African Senior Championships earlier billed to hold at the Teslim Balogun stadium in Lagos.

Nigeria has provisionally qualified for the women’s 4x100m event and will be hoping to seal their spot-on home soil with the iconic sprinter, Blessing Okagbare leading the charge.

The men’s 4x100m and the women’s 4x400m relay teams are just one quality performance away from sealing their places in Team Nigeria’s flight to the quadrennial Games.

The men’s 4x100m team has slipped one step further down to 18th in the ranking of teams for the games following Turkey and Ukraine’s impressive performance at athletics meeting on June 12 in Erzurum, Turkey.

While Turkey jumped from 16th to 15th after their quartet improved from 38.47 seconds to 38.20 seconds, Ukariane jumped above Nigeria to 17th after running 38.51 at the same event.

Nigeria is ranked 18th courtesy of the 38.59 seconds the team ran two years ago at the African Games in Rabat and will need to run under 38.15 seconds to be sure of picking one of the available four slots on offer.

The women’s 4x400m team is still ranked 17th and needs to run inside 3:29 to be 100% sure of joining Team Nigeria’s plane to the Olympics.

With Favour Ofili available and leading the charge, athletics observers are confident the team will be among the 16 teams representing 16 nations that will line up for the event in Tokyo.

The men’s 4x400m and the 4x400m mixed relays are also in the hunt for tickets to the Games and will need to surmount high hurdles to make it.

The men’s team will need to not only break 3:03 in the event but also ensure it betters the 3:02.50 ran by Turkey on June 12, 2021 to guarantee a spot in the relay line up in Tokyo.

There are four slots left to fight for and Turkey tops the list with that performance in Erzurum and they are followed by Poland (3:02.56), India (3:02.59) and Brazil (3:02.84).

Nigeria is ranked further than in the 21st position with the 3:03.42 the team ran at the African Games in 2019.

For the mixed relay, Nigeria, currently ranked 25th with the 3:18.53 the team ran at the Prairie View meet in Texas, USA last month will need to run faster than the 3:14.84 Czech Republic ran on June 15, 2021 at the Mestský Stadion Sletište in Kladno, Czech Republic to be guaranteed qualification.

There are three available slots on offer in this event with Ukraine (3:15.46) and Belarus (3:16.65) occupying the 15th and 16th spots following their performance in Erzurum on June 12, 2021.

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Sports

From Mavlon FC to Finland: The Rising Journey of James Samuel Friday

Published

5 hours ago

March 21, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

James Samuel Friday, a promising young goalkeeper from Nigeria, has recently made headlines following his transfer from Mavlon FC to SJK Seinäjoki II in Finland. Born on April 5, 2006, the 18-year-old shot-stopper is already making a name for himself with his impressive performances between the sticks.

Mavlon FC, a Nigerian club renowned for identifying and nurturing young talents, discovered Friday at just 12 years old in 2018. His early recruitment under the club’s “catch them young” policy underscores their confidence in his abilities. Over the years, his dedication and hard work have been instrumental in shaping his promising career.

During his time at Mavlon FC, Friday also gained valuable international exposure, participating in the prestigious 73rd and 74th Viareggio Youth Tournaments in Italy. His performances caught the attention of scouts and clubs beyond Nigeria’s borders.

On February 1, 2025, Friday officially joined SJK Seinäjoki II, a Finnish club where he aims to develop further and gain vital experience in a competitive European environment. Prior to this significant move, he was invited by English club Charlton Athletic for a training and development program in London, where he impressed the technical crew and management with his goalkeeping skills.

Internationally, Friday has already represented Nigeria at the U20 level. He made his debut on March 7, 2024, under coach Ladan Bosso, earning his first cap for the national team. Since then, he has remained committed to improving his game and proving himself on bigger stages.

In modern football, where goalkeepers are expected to contribute to team play beyond shot-stopping, Friday excels with his ball-playing abilities. His precise passing allows him to connect with teammates effectively, facilitating quick transitions from defense to attack. Standing tall at 1.95m, he commands his area with authority and provides a strong presence between the posts.

With his talent, work ethic, and the right environment at SJK Seinäjoki II, Friday is poised for a bright future in European football.

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