Bauchi, Plateau runners dominate Bayelsa Governor’s 21km marathon

One of the female winners receives her prize at the end of the Senator Douye Diri (SDD) Bayelsa Marathon….yesterday

Wadata Barau of Bauchi State, yesterday, emerged winner of the male category of the fourth edition of the Senator Douye Diri (SDD) Bayelsa Marathon.

One hundred and thirty-five athletes participated in the elite, teens (male and female students) and leisure runners categories of the 21km and 5km races respectively.

Twenty-four-year-old Barau, a 400-level student of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, beat other participants in the 21km elite event to clinch the N500,000 star prize.

The race flagged off from the Akenfa community along the Glory Drive and terminated at the Peace Park in Yenagoa.

Nenfort Martins from Plateau State came second and received a cash prize of N300,000 while Selengue Constant, also from Plateau, was third and got N200,000.

In the female category, Yilven Nicholas from Plateau State came first and took the N500,000 prize followed by Delta State-born Charity Agofure who got N300,000 while Goar Grace of Plateau State placed third and received N200,000.

In the male teen category, Andrew Bright emerged champion with a cash reward of N150,000, Wisdom Fyneface placed second and got N100,000 while Abule Ayibakipriye and Moses Amalala had a tie for the third place and received the N50,000 prize.

Speaking at the event, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, congratulated the athletes and bikers for participating in the historic SDD Bayelsa Marathon, which he said had come to stay.

“The marathon was initiated by a young man in the state, Comrade Odonkumo Igbeita, who mobilised some persons on a walk from Kolokuma/Opokuma to Yenagoa in appreciation of my emergence as governor in February 2020. Since then, l became interested in their activities and this is the fourth edition in the marathon series.

“l am happy that young people have keyed into the SDD Bayelsa Marathon and the participants of this race will go beyond Bayelsa and excel at national and international competitions. Bayelsa should be the cradle of sports in Nigeria.”