Ikpoto Eseme (born 25 May 1957) is a former

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

n sprinter who competed at international level winning bronze and gold medals. He also worked as a policeman.

Career

At the

1982 Commonwealth Games The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium (named after Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the a ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Eseme, running as

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...

, won a gold medal in the

4 x 100 metres relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

, with Iziaq Adeyanju, Lawrence Adegbeingbe, and Samson Olajidie Oyeledun. The winning time of 39.15 seconds was a games record. The medal was the only one won by Nigeria in athletics at the games. Eseme also competed in the 100 metres and 200 metres sprints. At the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Eseme competed in the

. In 1987 Eseme came first in the 200 metres sprint at the Nigerian Championship held at Lagos. Then, at the

1987 All-Africa Games The 4th All-Africa Games were played from August 1, 1987, to August 12, 1987, in Nairobi, Kenya. 42 countries participated in fourteen sports. From the beginning the intent had been to hold the African Games every four years. Economic difficulti ...

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

, he won a bronze medal in the

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

sprint. Eseme, like a number of other Nigerian competitors, also worked for the

Nigeria Police Force The Nigeria Police Force is the principal law enforcement and the lead security agency in Nigeria. Designated by the 1999 constitution as the national police of Nigeria with exclusive jurisdiction throughout the country, as at 2016 it has a s ...

and competed in the Police Games.

Awards

In 2003 Eseme, along with the other members of the gold medal winning relay team, received a National Sports Merit award from the Nigerian federal government. In 2014 Eseme received a Retired Officers for Sports Award from the Nigeria Police Force, presented by

Mohammed Dikko Abubakar Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, CFR, NPM, mni (Rtd) is a Nigerian Policeman and former Inspector General of Police. He was appointed in 2012 to succeed Hafiz Ringim and was succeeded by Suleiman Abba in 2014. He is currently the Pro Chancellor and Cha ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eseme, Ikpoto Nigerian male sprinters Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Nigeria Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics African Games bronze medalists for Nigeria African Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 All-Africa Games 1957 births Living people Nigerian Olympic athletes for Nigeria 20th-century Nigerian people 21st-century Nigerian people Medallists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games