President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Engineer Ibrahim Gusau, has paid visit to an ailing ex-Olympic Silver medalist Gloria Kemasuode and says the body will continue to take care of the needs of the nation’s serving and retired athletes, Completesports.com reports.
Gusau spoke at the Federal Medical Center, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, when he visited the Olympic Silver Medalist, who is undergoing treatment at the facility for mental illness. Her condition had deteriorated when she roamed the streets of Yenagoa aimlessly.
The AFN boss who was accompanied by a medical doctor from the Federal Ministry of Sports, Abuja, said he was pleased to have seen Gloria in a stable condition, pledging that the AFN would continue to monitor her medical progress.
“We are here to see Ubiebor and ascertain her condition. I must say we are happy to see him in a very stable condition,” Gusau said.
Gusau commended media practitioners in Bayelsa state for their untiring and persistent efforts in bringing the plight of Gloria Kemasuode into national focus and urged Nigerians to see themselves as one family ‘as what affects one equally affects the other’.
Loveday Herbert, a sports journalist in Yenagoa was among those who brought the plight of Gloria Kemasuode’s health challenges to limelight.
He said it was important that Gloria Kemasuode’s case was brought to the fore to get the attention of the authorities to help her.
Head of Clinical Services, Federal Medical Center, Yenagoa, Dr James Omietimi said the former athlete was in stable condition as she was responding to treatment.
Kemasuode was part of Nigeria’s 4×100 quartet that won bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. They finished the race in 43.04 secs to emerge third behind winners, Russia and Belgium.
Agnes Osazuwa, Oludamola Osayomin, Ene Franca Idoko and Halimat Ismaila were part of the Nigerian 4×100 team at the Beijing Summer Olympics.
But in 2016, the bronze medal was converted to silver when gold medal winners, Russia were disqualified and stripped of their gold medal on account of doping violations, thereby promoting Kemasuode and her teammates’ to silver medal position.
She was also in the Nigerian 4 x 100 meters women’s team that won gold at the Africa Championship in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia earlier in 2008, returning in a time of 43.04 secs.
By Sab Osuji
2 Comments
Wow, mental illness? Very strange indeed. Nice to see that help is being extended.
Very much unfortunate. Gladdening to see that necessary assistance is coming her way. Sound recovery Siz.