Nigerian marathoner, Francis James has vowed to defeat his East African counterparts in subsequent marathon races held in Nigeria.
Francis James finished fifth overall and won Nigeria’s men’s category with a time of 31:08s at the 2023 Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Race in Ogun state.
James said that his coach has plans to give him training programs that will give him much better time in the long-distance races.
The Plateau-born athlete said, “The 10km race was a tough one for me; I felt like stopping but God gave me the strength to finish it. I ran a Personal Best (31:08) and all I need is more training to reduce my time.
“In the next edition, I will work hard to defeat the Kenyans because that is my target.”
“At the 2022 National Sports Festival in Delta state, I finished fourth position in the 10,000m race with a time of 31:51s. I bounced back in July to win the second edition of the Mangrove Marathon Race 2023. I strongly believe that I have what it takes to rule Nigeria and Africa,” he said.
The 17-year-old athletes promised to win a medal for Nigeria at the forthcoming African Games in Ghana.
“With God, all things are possible, that is why I have the hope of winning a medal for Nigeria at the African Games in Ghana. Impossible is nothing.”
Francis James won Nigeria’s men’s category with a time of 31:08s, followed by Stephen Joshua (31:30s) and Emmanuel Gyang (32:07s) at the 10km race in Abeokuta, Ogun state.
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