By Monica Iheakam
It was a great performance from Pere Paghamote , Lt. OH Olawoore and Lt. LA Oriretan as they delivered on the water to the admiration of spectators during the Laser event of the 3rd edition of the FOC West Open Boat Race.
The event which was held at the Navy Sailing Club Ojo, over the weekend, had the best conditions for the competition as the athletes battled the still breeze for an excellent outcome.
Over 45 athletes entered for the races in canoeing, Kayaking, GP14, Laser and Open water swimming in the junior and senior categories.
Paghamote, claimed the gold in the Laser event and was closely followed by Olawoore who out powered the first female Laser champion in Nigeria, Oriretan.
In the GP14 event, POPTI Orji and Kanniko Stephen emerged winners, LT. David Alike and Solomon Kehinde clinched the silver ,while Abdul Abdul and Alaba Matthew raced to bronze.
For the double Kayak event, the gold went to the duo of Alaba Matthew and Sunday Omolara, Izilien Emmanuel and Izilien Deborah took silver, while Lt. David Aliemeke and Folagbade Thankgod settled for bronze.
Sponsor of the boat race and Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Oladele Bamidele Daji, showered encomium on the participants for their resilience in overcoming the still breeze to power to victory.
“I am very impressed with the performance of the athletes, you could see that at a stage, the breeze seemed to just seize, yet they were able to carry out their sailing for the distance and returned back to safety. it is testament to the days and hours of training they have put in that it was not in vain.
“Don’t forget that our motto is; Wind or Power, we sail!!
“For the fourth edition, I expect to see more entries and actions. I want to sees a situation whereby other clubs and athletes from neighboring countries are invited for this event
“The Navy will continue to support Nigeria in discovery and nurturing of talents , if the youths are gainfully engaged in sporting activities, it can be a good source of income for our youths”, Rear Admiral Daji assured.