Ibadin: My performance at African Championships has shown that distance running isn’t just for East Africans

Nigeria record holder in the 800m, Edo Ibadin says his sixth place finish in the final of the event at the 23rd African Athletics Championships has shown that West Africans also have the talent to compete with the East Africans geneally acknowledged as the kings of distance running.

Ibadin ran 1:47.95 to finish sixth in the race won by Alex Ngeno KIPNGETICH (1:45.02) with Botswana’s Kethobogile HAINGURA (1:45.54) second while Tom DRADRIGA of Uganda finished third (1:46.01).

The Nigerian was not very happy with his performance but believes he has been able to prove that the middle and long distance races are not the exclusive preserve of the East Africans.

‘Placed 6th in 800m at the African Senior Athletics Championships in Douala Cameroon. Came up just a tad bit short of the goal which was to get an international medal. But grateful to have made the final and show that middle distance running isn’t just for East Africans but West Africans as well. Time to lock back in and get back to the lab on this road to Paris,’ said the 31 year old in a Facebook post.

Ibadin holds a personal season’s best of 1:45.22 which he ran early this month in Landover, Maryland, USA and a 1:44.65 lifetime best and Nigerian record which he set at the end of July 2023 and which has qualified him to run at the Olympics in Paris later this summer.

He is ranked joint 125th best in the African all-time list with Ethiopia’s Teddese Lemi.

Ibadin will be the second Nigerian to compete in the 800m event at the Olympics after Ado Maude who ran 1:50.48 to finish fifth and crashed out in the opening round heats.