Daily Independent Online.
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Thursday, June 17, 2004.
Emedolu on course for Golden League jackpot
By Taiwo Alimi
Senior
Correspondent,
Lagos
Nigeria’s
Uchenna Emedolu has scored yet another plus in his short career as he was the
only Nigeria named among the long list of athletes on line for a slice of the
gold on offer in the lucrative Golden League Jackpot.
Emedolu received
special mention from the international body IAAF Wednesday in the review of the
Golden league that fired off in Bergen, Norway last Friday.
Emedolu was on course in Race B of the
200m winning in 20.90 ahead of Frenchman Ronald Pognon who finished on
20.93,” the IAAF commented.
The 100m and 200m
finalist at the last World Championship in France put to test his rugged and
burst of speed even he is a late starter to work to edge out the favoured
Pognon on the tape.
The win has placed
Emedolu who smiled home with $16,000 in France at an advantage for the slice of
the gold at stake but he would still have to win in all legs of the League that
would resume in Rome on July 3 .
It might however be
a tall mission for the reigning Africa Games 200m title holder as he would have
to beat the American duo of Crawford Shawn who
won the Race A with a stupendous time of 20.31 and Gatlin Justin who
came out second in 20.39. Both athletes have the best times in the event this
season and would be a hard nut to crack for the Nigerian.
Others still in
contention for the million dollars jackpot are Felix Sanchez (400m), Torri Edwards, Tonique Williams
and Hestrie Cloete of South Africa.
