Clement Ejim, Team Enugu’s Wrestling Coach says his wards have intensified preparations ahead of the upcoming 2020 National Sports Festival (NSF) in Edo.
SEE ALSO: Asaba 2018: I want to surpass Blessing Okagbare’s record, says gold winning athlete
Ejim told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Tuesday that he currently had dedicated wrestlers that could do the state proud in Edo.
“I have 16 wrestlers under my tutelage; 12 males and four females; six for Greco-Roman Style Wrestling and six for Freestyle Wrestling.
“We used to train only in the morning before but recently we embarked on double training every day because of the festival.
“The wrestlers now train in the morning and evening but in the morning we change our time of beginning from 8 a.m. to 9.30a.m. to accommodate festival hour.
“As for wining laurels, I have professionals among the wrestlers, so by God’s grace, Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will not elude us in Edo,’’ he said.
On the chances of his wards coming out tops at the sports fiesta, the coach told NAN that they would battle on all fronts for the 30 Gold medals that are usually up for grabs.
He added that his wrestlers were able to win four medals for the state at the Port Harcourt Wrestling Championship in 2019.
“We came back with two silver and two bronze and this time around, we need adequate preparation to do more for the state,’’ the coach said.
Ejim said that the wrestlers were doing well in training and were ready to represent the state well in Edo.
“The wrestlers have never skipped training in spite of the difficulties they faced with feeding and transportation,’’ Ejim said.
The coach noted that in spite of the optimism, he would, however, not mention the number of medals his wrestlers would win but remained confident of winning medals at the NSF.