The duo of Oyelade Sunday and 13-year-old, Vera Yohanna Davou, finally received their Kia Rio saloon car prizes on Tuesday, five months after winning 2020 Lagos City Marathon.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Davou and Oyelade emerged winners of the 10km female and male races during the 2020 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon held on Feb. 8.
Organisers of the epic race, in a statement by Tunde Eludini, said that Davou, a JSS3 pupil of the Victory Academy High School, Jos, surprised everyone and even herself to win the 10km women’s race.
“On his part, Oyebode, a fun runner and student of United Anglican Methodist High School, Ilesa, also got his star prize.
“Oyebode revealed that before coming to win in Lagos, he had tried out at the 10km Abeokuta Road race also sponsored by Access Bank but he finished then in distant 9th position.
“Both teenagers were understandably over the moon as they were given their car keys and papers in the company of their guardians and coaches,” organisers said.
Davou, who treks several kilometres to school daily, said after receiving his car that he would advise his friends to start training and running because she never expected to win.
“I have just been training for one year and through the help of God and the Holy Spirit, I have won a race and a car,” she said.
Oyebode said he is now more motivated than ever to take his athletics career more serious, while hoping to go global like his Kenyan idols in long-distance running.
“I hope to be a world champion one day, this car will motivate me to work even harder, I thank the oragnisers and the sponsors for this big prize,” the United Anglican Methodist High School student said.
Bukola Olopade, the marathon’ marketing consultant, said he was delighted that the Lagos race was making huge impacts in the life of people.
He thanked the sponsors, especially Kia Motors, for coming through with the saloon cars for the winners.
Olopade said: “For us, we have shown the public that we will always keep to our promise while for our sponsors they can trust us that whatever we get from them is channelled to the right directions.
“Already in its fifth year, Lagos Marathon is hoping for another upward movement from its present Silver Label ahead of the 2021 edition tentatively meant for Feb. 13,” said Olopade, a former sports commissioner in Ogun.
