Falilat Athletics meet gets FCMB backing

13.09.2007

African 400m record holder at 49.10 seconds and double Olympic medallist, Chief Falilat Ogunkoya-Omotayo has received the backing of one of Nigeria’s top banks, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) towards the second Falilat Ogunkoya 400m Athletics meeting.

The meeting, which holds next month in Lagos after the Ramadan fast will be held under the auspices of Falilat Ogunkoya Foundation set up by the former IAAF World Cup 400m winner in 2004.

Arguably Nigeria’s most successful woman athlete of all time who was voted the best 400m runner in the world in 1998, Ogunkoya-Omotayo says she is trying to give back to the sport that shot her to two Olympic medals,one IAAF World indoor medal and several African Games and Championships titles as well as four back-to-back 400m final appearances at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics.

‘’I am happy FCMB has decided to back me on this project.Nigerian youths will forever be grateful to it,” says Ogunkoya-Omotayo, who is also the first Nigerian to win an individual Olympic medal in track and field.

‘’I pray other companies follow in FCMB’s path to help lift the sport again as well as positively engage the teeming and restless youth that roam our streets without jobs.”