The Nigerian wrestling team attained a great feat in Algeria last week winning six Olympic slots – four women and two men. What did it take to achieve that?
It took a long process of preparations. This year, we started early. The President, Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Dr. Daniel Igali, called us to camp in January. We trained in his private gym in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. We spent time training; working on the areas we were not good at; scouting our opponents; watching them in video clips to identify their weak points. In summary, we started early and the result came out good.
What was your experience like at the qualifiers, which was held in Algiers?
Apart from these six, there is Odunayo Adekuruoye, who qualified for the Rio Olympics at the World Championship. How was her own qualification?It wasn’t easy in Algeria. We faced tough opponents. Every athlete and every country wants to be at the Olympics. It was tough but we were mentally tough too and we were ready for the challenge. The early preparation we had really counted for us.
I took Odunayo to Las Vegas for the World Championship and she did very well and qualified for the Olympics. It was the toughest Olympic qualifying route one can think of. Going to the World Championship and getting a slot is not a mean feat.
From what you have seen so far, can Nigerians realistically expect medals in wrestling at the Olympics?
For now, I wouldn’t want to say anything about our chances of winning medals at the Olympics. The preparations will determine the medals. We have just finished the qualifiers and we have about three months to prepare for the Olympics. Within these three months, I propose that we should have a couple of competitions where we can meet the top five and top six wrestlers in the world in different categories. If you ask me this question by July, I will be able to tell you because everything is dependent on the kind of preparations we get. I hope we will have adequate preparations. I hope the National Sports Commission will give us the support we need to do well at the Olympics.
Nigerian women are doing well in wrestling. As the national women’s coach, do you think this,in any way, means that they are stronger than their counterparts from other African countries?
Well partially, but I think it is about preparations and their approach to the sports. But the men are also good. If we continue like this we will dominate wrestling in Africa in both women and men categories.
What is the current state of wrestling in Nigeria compared to what it was some years ago?
I can clearly tell you that in the past few years that we’ve had Dr. Daniel Igali as the president of our federation, things have been improving. We have been going for international competitions regularly; we have been having national championships; we have been having seminars and good publicity. We are working on junior championships. We have been having our camping at Igali’s private gym and fitness centre. Camping there has helped us to work on areas we were not good at and we have improved considerably. Wrestling in Nigeria has made great progress recently. It is really becoming more and more popular. I think government and the private sector should do more in terms of promoting wrestling as an important sport in the country. They should support other sports, not just football. To improve wrestling, I think it should be introduced to sports competitions in primary and secondary schools. It will also help if it is introduced to the Nigerian University Games and there are Olympic centres, at least four of them, in different parts of the country where wrestlers can go for training regularly. These centres can also be used to host international competitions. These competitions will give our wrestlers the exposure they need to be ready for major championships.
Did you actively compete as a wrestler before becoming a coach?
I was a national champion in Nigeria before I left for Germany. Later, I got a diploma in coaching to become a wrestling coach. Wrestling has been a part of me and I have been a part of wrestling.
When did you go into wrestling?
I started wrestling in my childhood. Then as a child I used to gather with my friends to wrestle one another. It was fun then and I did well among my friends. We really enjoyed wrestling but I didn’t know I was going to take it seriously as a sport.
So at what point did it go from being fun to being a serious sport for you?
I think it was when I was in school and I discovered that I could really make something out of it. I saw that I could take part in international competitions and get the chance to travel to different parts of the world. In the early days, when I started, I was fascinated when I got to the national camp. I was really encouraged then. One of the initial attractions for me was the fact that I could travel to other countries and meet people from other parts of the world.
Does the fact that you are a man coaching women wrestlers affect your performance?
Not really. In coaching, one needs a lot of experience to do well. A coach has to know what his athletes want and also have a good relationship with them. We learnt all that in our coaching course. I have a good relationship with my wrestlers and everything is working well.
Would you encourage your daughter to do wrestling if she shows interest?
Interestingly, I have an eight year-old daughter and all I keep telling her is that if she goes into wrestling, she will be the best and honestly she will take my heart. I will support her in whatever she wants to do. She has been on the wrestling mat but she just goes there to play. But if she really wants to go into wrestling as a career, I’m ready to take her to any level and she will win my heart.
All Credits: PUNCH
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