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Ayomide Powei Bello: Born inside the canoe, now a rowing star

The story of Ayomide Powei Bello is a unique one. She was born in a canoe some 20 years ago by a mother whose livelihood depends on resources from the water. She grew up leaning to live off the water. Today, she has taken it a notch higher. CHARLES OGUNDIYA takes an in-depth look at the story of a girl who has become an international canoeing star

A former American professional basketball player, Shaquille O’Neal once said that, ‘Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you do repeatedly.’ This statement properly aligns with the story of Nigeria canoeist, Ayomide Powei Bello, who has taken the sport by storm since coming to limelight few years ago. It is rare to see a sportsman or woman doing same thing from tender age. There have been cases of athletes either playing football when they were five, or involving in track and field from same age, but it is rare to see an athlete born into the sport and also participating in it from as small as three years old. Born 20 years ago, in the Ijaw speaking part of Ondo State, Ayomide had a special delivery different from most athletes, hence her foray into canoeing.

In the beginning

Her mother gave birth to her inside a canoe. “Even though I am from Ondo State, I was born and brought up in Lagos, Epe to be precise,” she said. “My mum is into fishing business and she always go out using the canoe to catch fish herself, so she was carrying me in her womb and on that faithful day, she went out as usual for fishing all alone, that was when she gave birth to me in the middle of the river inside the boat. According to her, she delivered herself and paddled home herself.” That’s obviously a miraculous delivery and a brave one at that and that bravery that has been ‘deposited’ into Ayomide perhaps since that day she was born. As the seventh of eight children and the last girl of the house, the onus lies on her to do most of the house chores right from her tender age and one of the chores expected of her was fetching of water for drinking and bathing for the whole family. With the river as the only source of water in her community, she must go out in a local canoe to do this and that has been her routine each day from a very small age. She added: “We are eight in number, and I am the seventh and the last girl in the house, my senior sisters are married already, first and third born and with me the only girl remaining amidst all my brothers, the onus fell on me to do so many house chores like going out to fetch water.

“We normally get our drinking and bathing water from the river, so each day, I will have to enter the local canoe, paddle to the middle of the river to fetch water and return same way each day, right from growing up, I do that at least twice in a day.”

How interest in sports began

That was her introduction to the sport without her taking note until she was introduced to it officially by her area sister who at the time was into canoeing, Lilian Japheth. According to her, Japheth initially introduced her to swimming, same sports she was into and with her making waves across the country in swimming, she decided not to take canoeing seriously.

“I was introduced to the sport by my big aunty, Lilian Japheth, she was a swimmer, she was the one that initially introduced me to swimming and then to canoeing just like her. She started with swimming and later canoeing; she was once a champion in the sport, a first medalist from Africa in the sport. “I was introduced to canoeing in 2017, but I didn’t give it that time needed because I was already used to swimming at the time, I was making some name within Nigeria in swimming, but I decided to put in for canoeing as the Youth Olympics was coming. “The qualifier was in Spain that year and my sister called me to come and train and go if I will be able to meet up, she trained me for three weeks after which I was able to go to Spain and qualified as African number one in junior category, I also qualified for the Olympics just training for three weeks.

“Immediately, I come to the conclusion that canoeing is for me and I decided to concentrate on it from that moment, I decided to fight harder so as to make it to the senior Olympics. When we returned to Nigeria from Spain, during the 2018 National Sports Festival, I was able to beat my trainer and sister, Japheth, winning four gold in my individual races, and three silver medals in double race, then I became fully the African number one both in junior and senior category. “While preparing for the African Games in Rabat, I was scared that since I have already beaten the number one woman back home in Nigeria, I must be able to achieve same at African level, and God helping me, in Morocco, I won gold in all my individual events and also won gold in my double events to retain the position as number one till date.”

She described the sports as something she has been used to even as a small girl, describing paddling a wooden canoe and another one made of fiber as just the same. Ayomide said having the opportunity to use a fiber canoe compared to a wooden one that is heavier, it’s just like a piece of cake. “It is similar to the local one I am used to and it was not difficult for me to catch up with it, my issue at the initial stage was the balancing of the boat, which was a little bit hard. “Initially, when I saw the boat, I was thinking it would be just like what I was used to, thinking it would be so easy, unfortunately it was not as I was thinking, I capsized few times, but despite that, I was able to master it that same day that I started. It didn’t take me days, but just a day and when I got used to it, I had this zeal in me that I will use it as a sport to make my country proud and to make my family proud, because it is what I grew up with and now doing it to become someone in life.”

Between swimming and canoeing

Going back to her journey into sports, Ayomide said she would have loved to have started canoeing earlier instead of spending time in swimming. “If I had the opportunity earlier, I would have gone beyond the level I am at the moment, though I love swimming, I love water, but it would have been great if I started canoeing earlier. “As someone that loves water, both were easy for me because I was used to the two right from growing up.

I love water and as someone from the riverine area, we are used to swimming and canoeing, though in local way, because you will still need to learn the peculiarity and rules of both.” At the last Olympics in Tokyo, Ayomide finished fourth in her event despite trailing in third position from the start of her heats to the semi final, she however said she was not disappointed with her failure to make the podium. According to her, she had little time to train for it and also trained with inferior implement compared to what is obtained at the world level, making it difficult for her to finish her race faster. When asked about the coming Olympics in a year’s time, she said she will be well prepared and ready for it, because her federation, Nigeria Rowing Canoe & Sailing Federation, already bought her a state-of-the-art canoe and she has been using that to train and prepare for all the coming championships starting with the African Games coming up in Ghana.

“With God helping me, I am working towards all the events and the target is to be on the podium in Paris 2024, I am working hard towards achieving that and the Bible says, ask and it shall be given. I already asked God for that and I am also working so hard on my part and I am sure God will crown my efforts with victory.” Speaking further, she said it was easier to make it in canoeing than swimming, putting into consideration the peculiarity of Nigeria as a country. It would have been more difficult to qualify for the Olympics through swimming, something she achieved just few months after delving into canoeing.

Ayomide said: “Actually, our manner of swimming here compared to the international standard is somehow different, but in canoeing, it is easier for those of us from Ijaw side, because it is part of us, we do more of paddling than swimming. “Even at this my age, whenever I go to the village, I still engage myself in paddling because I will still have to help out at home and that means paddling to get water and do some other things.

But I won’t have that opportunity to swim every other day. “Each day, I must make use of the canoe at least twice and that serves as a means of constant training for me, but I can’t be swimming all the time in the river. No matter what, I will have to get into the canoe even when I am not training, unless when I am away from the village, that’s when I won’t take part in it on a daily basis Monday to Sunday.”

Why I still help in domestic activities at home

Unlike some other stars who after making it will ignore their beginning and people they started together, Ayomide said she was still in touch with all her friends and relate with them as before whenever they are together back at home in the village. “I still see myself as the former Ayomide paddling local boat as a kid, I feel so happy doing it till now, I don’t classify myself as someone different from others, it is just an opportunity to be where I am today and not by my power or strength, but God helping me, so who am I to think I am different from others, this is something helping me even when I am not in camp, I am always glad doing it whenever I am home. “Talking about my friends, they still come around and we relate like before, especially now that I am an Olympian, they come around me, I do advise them, talk to them and play with them the way we usually do in the past.

“Although now we are getting older, we always advice ourselves and I do tell them to take things seriously, not to look down on themselves, try their best to strive hard to get to the top.” She also added that due to her achievements in the sport, some of her friends are now coming into canoeing and she was happy that they were making waves already. The 20-year-old said: “I have seen a lot of friends, sisters, relatives, even some that were in the sport before but already giving up, are now coming back because of what I was able to achieve in the game, even though they are already into other businesses, but now coming back to canoeing with what I have achieved. “They are putting in their best after talking to them. I am glad that they are coming back, even at the last Sports Festival, I saw so many of them and they have really improved. I am so glad that I am a sort of inspiration and good example to them.”

Future Plans

Sports will not last forever and Ayomide is already thinking about life after the sports despite having so many years ahead. Having returned to school, she is thinking of having an NGO that will take so many young girls out of the village and become stars. “My education part is intact and going well, at a time I stopped, but I have returned to school and I can tell you things are going well for me.

“Also, for life after sports, I have ambition of bringing up people like me coming from the riverine area in the villages who are used to the local canoe, bring them to the limelight and help them become stars, something like an NGO, so we can have people known all over the world, I don’t want their talent to be wasted and I am already working on that.” Every woman wants love and Ayomide is not an exception, but according to her, she will have to concentrate on her future for now and when the time is ripe, she will get a man that will accept her and help her with her dreams.

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