PLATEAU STARS SHINE AT SDD BAYELSA MARATHON
By: Safiya Abdulrahim Dabban
Plateau State athletes stole the spotlight at the 6th Senator Douye Diri Bayelsa Marathon as Gyang James and Lydia Akusho emerged champions of the elite men and women races, each pocketing ₦1 million.
Seventeen-year-old Gyang thrilled spectators after blazing through the 10km course in 30:58.75, crossing the finish line at Peace Park, Yenagoa, to claim victory. An excited Lydia Akusho, a nursing mother and Federal Fire Service officer, topped the women’s race in 38:30.37 and expressed confidence about winning more marathons.
Marathon organiser Igbeta Odonkumo described the race as a platform to grow long-distance running in Bayelsa, while Governor Douye Diri hailed sports as a tool for empowerment. The governor announced an increase in winners’ prize money to ₦2 million from the next edition and confirmed approval for Bayelsa’s first-ever international marathon in April.
The event also featured a teenage race where Victory Igbete and Andrew Richard emerged winners in the girls and boys categories respectively, as hundreds of athletes competed in a colourful and competitive outing supported by the Gloria Diri Foundation.