13-year-old Okon wins 800m gold as Niger Delta Games gather pace

Coached by her father, Coach Filipidis, a former athlete, Okon showed composure beyond her years

Day Two of athletics at the Niger Delta Games delivered more standout performances on Saturday in Benin City, with a 13-year-old emerging as one of the brightest stars of the competition.

Hephzibah Okon stunned the crowd at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium by claiming gold in the women’s 800 metres. The teenager crossed the finish line in 2:18.83 seconds, holding off strong challenges from Godsmind Eteny of Cross River, who took silver in 2:19.01 seconds, and Delta’s Anochie Rejoice, who settled for bronze in 2:20.28 seconds.

Coached by her father, Coach Filipidis, a former athlete, Okon showed composure beyond her years, pacing the race intelligently before producing a strong finish down the home straight. Her victory adds to the growing list of young talents unearthed at the regional Games.

In the men’s 800 metres final, Edo State’s Solomon Eloghosa delighted the home crowd with a commanding run to secure gold in 1:56.74 seconds.

Samson Teibowei finished narrowly behind in 1:56.84 seconds to claim silver, while Timilehin Owolabi of Ondo took bronze in 1:57.71 seconds.

The women’s 400 metres hurdles also produced a notable performance as 19-year-old Mary Innocent of Delta State ran a personal best of 59.87 seconds to clinch gold. Esther Ikechukwu of Imo (62.24s) and Emediong Sunday of Akwa Ibom (62.54s) completed the podium.

In the men’s hammer throw, Emmanuel Shakamomodu gave Edo another gold medal, finishing ahead of David Bosa of Delta and Goodnews Musa of Rivers.

The Niger Delta Games, sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission and organised by Dunamis-Icon Limited, bring together athletes from nine Niger Delta states competing in 16 sports.

Designed to promote grassroots development and talent discovery, the Games continue to showcase emerging athletes who could form the backbone of future national teams.

With more track and field events lined up, the competition in Benin City shows no signs of slowing down.