Adekunle Salami 
Nigeria is so big with enormous talents scattered in all parts of the country begging for attention and a chance to prove what they can do. Many of them rot away without having an opportunity to exhibit their talents at state or national level. The stars of the golden generation of the country’s athletes were superb as they competed with top athletes all over the world toe-to-toe.
At the time, Nigeria would at least be in the final of the 100m at the Olympic Games and World Championship with two sprinters in the male cadre and at least one in the women’s event. The country also at the time boasted a relay team that managed to finish with silver or bronze in the 4x100m event just while the country performed great in the 4x400m as well.
In recent times, however, things have taken a downward turn. In Africa, Nigeria is no longer a strong contender in the sprints events and the country’s best athletes now struggle to make it to final. Before now, the country could boast of at least two of the three medals at stake in sprints or even a clean sweep of gold, silver and bronze in a continental setting.
And so, since the country is playing catch up in Africa, the global results are like a mirage for the top sprinters. Incidentally, sprints are an area of core competence just as long distance races are for the East Africans like Kenyans and Ethiopians. Sprinters from Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and South Africa are now stronger than Nigerians in the 100m and 200m events.
This is not new; it is fallout of overtime issues in athletics. After the exploits of Mary Onyali and Falilat Ogunkoya in their respective disciplines, no replacement for them, just as we do not have replacements for Chidi Imoh, Olapade Adeniken, Davidson Ezenwa, Olusoji Fasugba, Deji Aliu, Innocent Egbunike, just to mention a fee.
Since there are no younger ones to take over, this has become an inherited problem of the current board of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria led by Tonobok Okowa, who is fighting hard to right the wrongs. Reality stared Nigerians in the face at the recently concluded World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, as the country failed to win a single medal at the games.
In addition, most of the athletes that got to the final in 2022 like Chukwuebuka Enekwechi failed to make it at Budapest. Ese Brume and Tobi Amusan were the two who managed to get to the final but they finished 4th and 6th respectively in the Women’s Long Jump and the Women’s 100m Hurdles events.
In Oregon, USA, only last year, Amusan set a new world record to clinch gold just as Brume won silver in the long jump event. In Budapest, Favour Ashe, Itsekiri Usheoritse, Seye Ogunlewe, Alaba Akintola, Enoch Adegoke and Godson Brume were on parade in the men’s sprints event but were unable to make the final of either the 100m or the 200m.
The women did not fare better as Favour Ofili, Rose- mary Chukwuma, Faith Okwose and Justina Eyakpobeyan also crumbled on the way. The relay events were not better as the women dropped the baton in the 4x100m. The athletes complained that they arrived at the venue barely two days to the start without a training tour while many others got to Budapest two weeks before the event.
Some African athletes however made an impact at the worlds. Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo won silver in 100m and a bronze in 200m event just as Hugues Zango of Burkina Faso also clinched gold in men’s Triple Jump event. Nigeria’s Faith Okwose and Justina Eyakpobeyan went to the games as U20 athletes and have shown so much promise to get better in future.
The 2024 Olympic Games takes place next year in France and Amusan and Brume are expected to bounce back strong for podium finishes. It was exciting that three table tennis players including Aruna Quadri and Funke Oshonaike are already through to the games. In boxing, a female boxer, Cynthia Ogunsemilore, won a slot at a recent qualifying event in Tunisia under the tutelage of coach Antony Konyewachie just as Joshua Omole and Olaore Olaitan also won slots in the male cadre.
It is important to stress that the new Sports Minister John Enoh should find a way to ensure adequate prepara- tions are made for the Olympics. There must be a training tour and concrete plans for welfare of the athletes which must include the reward system for the athletes who excel at the event. There must be a motivating factor to ginger the athletes to go all out for medals for Team Nigeria in France.
