No fewer than 60 budding wrestlers were added to the pool of talents under the care of Lagos State Wrestling Association during a three-day Closed Wrestling Workshop/Championship organised in Epe Division at the weekend.
Director General of Lagos State Sports Commission, Mr. Adewunmi Ogunsanya, described the performance of the budding talents as exceptional, adding that their performance within three days of exposure to wrestling indicated their ability to improve tremendously after a longer period of exposure to the game.
The young wrestlers from 16 secondary schools in Epe Division were discovered after being taken through the rudiments of the combat sport which included male freestyle, Greco Roman and female freestyle in the junior and senior categories of the competition that featured about 300 students at Odo Obara High School, Epe.
“What we’re doing is to genuinely focus on grassroots development of sports because this is where the talent abounds. The performance of these young wrestlers shows that they have the potentials to make it and improve in the game. We are going to do similar thing in other divisions of the State. The association will take over the tutoring of these 60 wrestlers”, Ogunsanya stated.
The Director-General emphasised that in the long run Lagos State plans to have in its pool, young and promising athletes who will be nurtured to become future stars of not only the State but that of the country as well.
Mr. Fatai Alao Adenekan, Chairman, Lagos State Wrestling Association stated that there is the urgent need for government, private organisations and individuals to support the development of wrestling in Lagos while he applauded the support received from the Lagos State Sports Commission in facilitating the Closed Wrestling Workshop and Championship.
Outstanding student wrestlers were given awards and prizes at the end of the competition, some of the athletes include Ikudehindu Abiodun, SS 3 student of Ogunmodede Senior College, Epe adjudged the best male wrestler, while Ochiko Abraham, a SS 3 student of Army Children Senior High School, Epe was adjudged the best female wrestler of the tournament.
Ochiko came first in 50kg female freestyle Keji Hassan of Alaro Community Senior Secondary School and Aishat Famuyiwa of Pobuma Senior Secondary School came second and third respectively while Ikudehindu was first in the male 50kg, Tobi Ogunkoya of Odomola Senior Secondary School and Ismail Umoru of Community Senior Secondary School were second and third respectively.
