Barely four days after getting off a 15-hour flight from Los Angeles, 13 year old Zuriel Oduwole entered, ran and won her first ever Marathon race - the Under 5KM Annual Lagos Magodo Marathon Race.
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Zuriel shows off her Ovaltine box
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Zuriel won a Satellite TV set which she gave away
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Being interviewed on the Red Carpet of the SERAs
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Zuriel poses with the Adult First Place winner
Clad in the race-issued grey sweats, matching shorts and still battling some jet lag, she powered her way around the bend to beat her closest challengers by a few meters to the finish tape, and all smiles as they came to a gradual stop at the official post off Emmanuel Keshi Road.
"It was a tough race, but I did not want to lose - I don't like to lose', she said. Sponsors Ovaltine were pleased to present her with a box of the chocolate drink; while event co-sponsors ACTV Cable TV presented her with a satellite TV set of Dish, Decoder, and accessories, which she later gave to a lucky family.
She made new friends, spoke to children about dreams and believing in themselves when asked for words of advice by the TV crew, and she took pictures with her young and adult fans alike.
Earlier last night, she attended the annual Social Enterprise Report and Awards (SERAs), recognizing the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions of Nigerian companies, and presenting the award for Best Company Supporting Youth Programmes to Samsung.