Team Bayelsa Athletes Shine At National Trials, Eye Commonwealth Games Qualification
Bayelsa State athletes have continued to deliver impressive performances at the ongoing National Athletics Trials taking place at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) Sports Complex in Lagos, as the competition enters its final day.
Leading Team Bayelsa's charge is sprinter Godwin Tejiri, who qualified for the men's 100m semi-finals after winning his heat in a time of 10.31 seconds, the fourth-fastest time recorded across all heats. He will be joined in the semi-finals by fellow Bayelsa athlete Shalom George.
In the middle-distance event, rising star Samson Teibowei of Samkay Athletics Club delivered a standout performance, winning his men's 800m heat with a strong finish and setting a new personal best of 1:54.60 seconds. The Odi-born athlete improved significantly on his previous best of 1:56.01 seconds, recorded at the MTN Champs in Ibadan, Oyo State, in April.
Teibowei is expected to return to the track later today for the men's 800m final, where he will be aiming for further success.
In the women's 400m event, Faith Ezechukwu narrowly missed out on winning her semi-final but secured qualification for the final after posting a time of 53.20 seconds. The performance marked her second personal best in as many days.
Attention will also be on Great Wisdom Musa and Christian Dickson, who are set to compete in the men's 110m hurdles event. Meanwhile, Sisan Efejuku, Perfect Faye, Goodluck Johnbull, Gift Allison, and Perezide Sigah will be looking to make their mark in the men's and women's 200m events.
In another major boost for Team Bayelsa, both Godwin Tejiri and Faith Ezechukwu have achieved the qualifying standards for the 2026 World Under-20 Championships scheduled to hold in Oregon, United States, from August 5 to 9.
Reacting to the athletes' performances, Chairman of the Bayelsa State Athletics Association, Dr. Kolawole Oredipe, expressed satisfaction with the team's progress and commended the athletes for their determination and resilience.
Dr. Oredipe stated that he remains optimistic that Godwin Tejiri, who has already attained the Commonwealth Games qualifying standard, will earn a place in Team Nigeria for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
With several athletes still in contention across multiple events, Team Bayelsa remains hopeful of securing more podium finishes and national team slots before the conclusion of the trials.
