The President of Cycling Federation of Nigeria (CFN), Engr. Giandomenico Massari, has said Team Nigeria is eying laurels but it would be difficult for the country to win medals at the 111th World Track Cycling Championship.
Four Nigerian female cyclists — Ese Ukpeseraye, Yekeen Tawakalt, Ayuba Grace and Samuel Mary — qualified for the championships, which will take place from 20 to 24 October 2021 in Roubaix, France.
They will compete in four events namely 500m Time Trials, Individual Pursuits, Team Sprints and Team Pursuits.
This is the first time ever Nigerian (female) team will be qualifying for the world championships.
Massari said it was a big achievement for Nigeria, which started competing in track cycling two years ago, to qualify for the World Track Cycling Championships.
However, speaking at a brief ceremony organized in honour of the athletes at the French Embassy in Abuja, he said winning medals at the competition would be difficult for the team because Nigerian athletes would be competing against other countries with a history of over 100 years in cycling.
Massari said “For us, it is a very big achievement to qualify for the world championship and we are also intensifying our efforts to ensure that Nigeria qualifies for the next Olympics.
“We have achieved a lot in the last few years. Nigeria was nowhere before in cycling. But today, Nigeria is ranked among the top 10 in the world, particularly for the female team. Now we are trying to consolidate what we have achieved so far.
“However, we have to be realistic. We started competing two years ago in track. Many other countries participating in the championship have a history of over 100 years in cycling, particularly in track.
“For us to achieve what we had in two years, you will agree that we have a bright future. We are positive but of course you can’t expect the athletes to get any medal when you are competing like you are David and Goliath.
“The fact that we qualified for the world championship and we are top in Africa, you can understand that we are somewhere.”
