Sharubutu, Yohanna listed for 2016 Paris Marathon

Nigerian marathoners, who finished top at the recent 2016 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, Philibus Sharubutu and Dinatu Yohanna, have been entered for the forthcoming Schneider Electric Paris Marathon slated to hold on April 3 in the French capital, Paris.
This was contained in a press release by the Lagos State Sports Commission after a press briefing yesterday which had in attendance LSSC chairman Deji Tinubu and the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Solomon Ogba.
Sharubutu was the first Nigerian male athlete to cross the finishing line at the revamped Lagos City Marathon which took place earlier this month while Yohanna was the second Nigerian woman to finish the race but was chosen for the trip to Paris ahead of 18-year old Olamide Oluwaseun who finished 1st, because the latter is yet to attain the stipulated age of 20 according to Paris Marathon Rules.
While speaking with reporters, Sharubutu disclosed that he was planning to change his training location in preparation for the Paris Marathon.
He said: “Usually I train in Jos, but after I was told that I would be going to Paris, I called my coach to tell him that I would want him to take me to train on the Mambila Plateau in Taraba State where the altitude is higher.
“It’s not a new thing to be called upon to run in an international competition, because I’ve represented the country in the past, though it was only within the continent. The Paris Marathon will be my first outing to Europe, so I’m going to train very hard for it.” said Yohanna.
Yohanna on the other hand couldn’t believe her good fortune, and is yet to come to terms with the fact that she’s actually going to represent Nigeria in Paris.
“I feel very excited because I wasn’t expecting it since I was the second Nigerian woman at the race. I will say that this is an opportunity created by God. This is my first international outing so I’m short of words, because it is a great opportunity. I will definitely do my best.” She said.