Former European champions Francis Obikwelu and Gloria Alozie have said they are in Nigeria to help the country produce track and field champions.
Alozie dumped Nigeria for Spain after helping Nigeria win silver in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Obikwelu switched his international allegiance to Portugal a year later – after representing Nigeria at Sydney 2000.
Both athletes, who are coaches/judges in the ongoing Top Sprinter Genesis, an athletic talent hunt, organised by Making of Champions, alongside other Olympians, Deji Aliu and Uchenna Emedolu, also gave reasons why they abandoned Nigeria.
Obikwelu, who won silver for Portugal in 100m at the 2004 Athens Olympics, told reporters in Lagos that he dumped Nigeria for the European nation because he was poorly treated by the Athletic Federation Nigeria when he had a knee injury at Sydney 2000.
Obikwelu, whose 1999 Nigerian record in 200m has not been broken, said he would help produce athletes, who can win medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He said, “What happened has happened, I’m here to give 150 per cent to help produce champions for Nigeria. We can produce athletes that can win medals at the Olympics.
“If you give me an athlete that is not well known, in the next one year I guarantee that I can make him run faster. I’m here to produce athletes that will break my Nigerian record in 200m.”
The retired sprinter added, “A lot of people in Nigeria were not happy that I switched allegiance to Portugal. I was not happy too. I want to use this opportunity to lay it down. I remember the Sydney Olympics, I was ranked number two in the world in 200m. I was in top shape but unfortunately I had a knee problem. I told my federation (AFN) that I had a problem with my knee and they said that I was lying. I went on and used the knee to run up to the semifinals and I could not run any more.
“My knee was bad. They took me to hospital and I did MRI scan and the doctor said ‘I don’t think you will continue running, your knee is bad and totally destroyed.’ I cried to the AFN and the only thing they told me was that they don’t need me; that they could produce another Obikwelu; that Nigeria had a lot of talents. I asked them to support me so that I could go for surgery. They said they would approve some money for me for the surgery.
“At the end, I went to Canada for the surgery. After the surgery, I had to stay in hospital for another two months. I almost died. Nobody from the federation called me. It was just my family. I came back to Nigeria on crutches. The money was approved but all they could tell me was that they didn’t know where the money was. I went back to Portugal and I said to myself ‘I’m done’. I love my country. This is where I started but what happened to me was not good. I think Nigeria should support its athletes when they have injuries. It is not about money. It’s also about respect and care. In Portugal, they support me, even if I’m not doing well. They come to me and ask ‘what do you need?’. This is what athletes need.”
Alozie said, “It was after I changed my nationality that I really knew what I had done. I went to Spain as a junior and I was still young so I did not really know what I was doing.
“When they tried me and they said I had to officially switch, I considered that my home. My club, my coach and everything was in Valencia and I had to change. That was why I changed.
“I’m really sorry I changed. I didn’t really see it that way. But thank God I’m back and I promised to make amends. I’m here to produce another Gloria Alozie, who can win medals for Nigeria.”
All Credits: PUNCH
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