Making of Champions

BLESSING OKAGBARE, recently crowned Commonwealth 100m & 200m Champion and African 100m Champion & Record Holder, speaks EXCLUSIVELY to MAKING OF CHAMPIONS on her career, personal life and on Nigerian Athletics! In this FINAL part of the 3-part interview series recorded in Morocco during the African Championships, she speaks on the possibility of attempting an Olympic treble, and shares her thoughts on what it would take to revive Athletics in Nigeria!

So is the Long Jump still your favourite event?

Yes, it is!

What are the chances that you will combine all 3 events – the 100m, 200m and Long Jump at the next World Champs and Olympics?

I will say 70/30 because the schedule is always off, and the long jump exerts more strength on your body, that’s the truth. I worked really really hard but there is something about this whole body. Your mental state can be fine but when the body has shut down, it has shut down. There is nothing you can do than give it the rest that it deserves. I don’t know if the schedule is going to permit me to attempt the triple that I did last year but I would really want to do it, trust me.

Do you think there is a case for you asking them to make the schedule work in your favour? They did it for Michael Johnson and Carl Lewis in the 90s…

They did, so we’ll see how it goes. It’s all politics! (she  laughs) 

How do you feel about Nigerian athletics today? There was a time we used to win a lot of medals on the global stage but now it seems like you are our only individual Olympic medal hope. Do you feel the weight of the whole nation on your shoulders?

No, I used to but like I said I put my priorities straight. If the people who are out there can’t do much to support the sport, this is my career. I have so much passion for what I do, I love Track & Field. I want to enjoy every moment of it. At the same time this is where I earn my living and take care of my family and I have to take care of it. I can’t wait for them; I can’t sit down and expect them to want to do something for me, so that is the difference between the people that are succeeding and those that are not. So if you keep waiting for these people, trust me you are going to be way behind.

Do you think that Track & Field in Nigeria can be revived to rival the likes of USA and Jamaica on the world stage?

No, I don’t think so. I’m not cursing them but it’s going to be really hard, it’s going to be extremely hard. Right now they are doing a lot of recruiting versus building on what they have – it doesn’t make any sense to me, you know, it doesn’t.

So how can we make that revolution in Track & Field happen?

I don’t know, a lot of things have been said in the past but it doesn’t look like they are going to change. They will keeping making the same mistakes and the government will keep changing and new people come. Some people who have no clue about sports will sit there as ministers and so on. First of all you need to find someone who has passion for this game, that knows the sport, that knows what it means to break a world record. Some people don’t even know what a world record or African championship record means. You need people who are educated about the sport. That is the way you can get athletes to do the best. Athletes that you are supposed to pay training grants in November, you then give them in April when it’s no longer relevant. They will just use it for shopping. You can’t give me that kind of money now, I will just go to the mall! They are always doing things at the last minute. That is one of the things they need to change because it is not taking us anywhere. It is just slowing us down.

Making Of Champions is working on a plan to start Professional Track Clubs in Nigeria and train athletes to go to the Olympics, giving them access to world class training in Nigeria. Do you think it’s something that could work in Nigeria?

It might be a 50-50 thing. I don’t know how successful it will be.

It worked in Jamaica…..

It depends on the people running this whole thing. If it’s going to work for them, good luck. I would just wish them good luck.

How would you like to give back to Nigeria, and play a role in reviving the sport across the nation?

I’m trying to set up my foundation. I’m still working on that but I have to make sure that I have people that I can actually trust because I don’t really stay in Nigeria, so I need people that I can trust to stand there when you need them. I still have so much going on but I want to give back to my community, my country and fans. I’m setting up my foundation to help young kids coming up in any way I can – probably put them through school, maybe up to college. It will be a great thing so I’m looking forward to that.

So if Making of Champions is able to start this programme to give home-based athletes training right in Nigeria, would you like to support that programme?

It depends! I can’t just put my money into something I have no guarantees will work…

No money involved oh, it’s just for you to mentor the kids…

Okay, yeah, whichever way I can support, of course I will!

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak exclusively to MAKING OF CHAMPIONS – we wish you all the best for the future!

Thank you!

If you missed Part I, on Blessing’s CAREER and her chase for more MEDALS and RECORDS, check it out here!

Or Part II, on her MARRIAGE, KIDS, and on finding her voice on Social Media, click here!

Alas! We’ve discovered the secrets of Jamaica’s success, and we’re ready to bring it right here to Nigeria! Making of Champions will be launching Nigeria’s first ever Professional Track Club! We already have a World-Class Coaching Team in place waiting to be activated, but first we need a Director of Operations who will be tasked with setting up the Track Club in Lagos, managing the day-to-day operations of the Club, and turning it into a well-oiled machine that will churn world-class sprinters, hurdlers and jumps for years to come. We’re talking Jamaica 2.0!

We’re looking for an entrepreneurial spirit, someone who is ready to be part of this new and exciting start-up that will lead the revolution in Nigerian Track & Field! Athletics in Nigeria will never be the same again because of your industry-leading efforts in setting up and running this Track Club for PROJECT RIO! Yes, YOU will be at the forefront of a WHOLE NEW INDUSTRY in Nigeria!

Job Description

• – Work hand-in-hand with MoC Founder on the overall strategy & execution for PROJECT RIO
• – Implement an aggressive nationwide athlete scouting and recruitment programme
• – Scout out and secure the training premises for MoC, including tracks and gyms
• – Liaise with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to ensure seamless integration of Making of Champions as a locally registered Track Club for domestic competitions
• – Work hand-in-hand with our World Class Coaching team to ensure the smooth running of daily club activities, including training, educating, mentoring, housing & feeding the athletes
• – Organize the travel, accommodation and board of MoC Athletes for ALL domestic and international competitions
• – Develop coaching courses led by the Head Coach of the Track Club, which locally-based coaches across Nigeria can attend to help improve the training of athletes in their regions
• – Lead our fundraising efforts by interacting with and pitching to potential Nigerian and International Sponsors and Investors for Making of Champions and our Athletes
• – Must be based in Lagos full-time, with plenty of travel within Nigeria for recruitment and competitions expected, and some travel abroad for major competitions involving MoC Athletes

Requirements

• – 3 – 5 years Operations or similar experience. Prior experience in Sports Management or Administration is a plus, not a pre-requisite. 
• – Prior experience working/doing business in Nigeria an advantage!
• – Bachelor’s Degree in any field. Sports and/or business related degrees a plus, not a necessity.
• – Deep knowledge and interest in Nigerian Athletics, and complete understanding of the business of Track & Field globally
• – Understanding of best practice in the identification and development of Track & Field talent
• – Proven leadership, people management and team building skills in order to lead a strong Track Club team, and build a robust network of feeder coaches and clubs across Nigeria!
• – Demonstrable problem solving and decision-making skills with the ability to work under pressure and balance conflicting demands and deadlines.
• – Commercially astute with proven experience of working at a strategic level and of preparing and managing budgets and other financial reports.
• – A ‘never say die, won’t give up’ attitude – it’s a SPORTS start-up, in NIGERIA! 

Compensation & Other Benefits

• – Full-time salary negotiable (based on experience), plus performance-related bonuses OR equity in Making of Champions!

Application & Deadline

• – Send your CV and Cover Letter to management@makingofchamps.com, with ‘MoC Director of Operations’ as email subject! The application deadline is Sunday September 7^th 2014. EXTENDED TO Sunday October 26th 2014!
• – Interviews will take place in September through to November 2014 in Lagos, or by phone/Skype for applicants in other locations!

Here’s a message from MoC Founder, Bambo Akani, on the launch of Project Rio. Come on Nigeria – Let’s MAKE CHAMPIONS! See you in Rio!!

BLESSING OKAGBARE, recently crowned Commonwealth 100m & 200m Champion and African 100m Champion & Record Holder, speaks EXCLUSIVELY to MAKING OF CHAMPIONS on her career, personal life and on Nigerian Athletics! In this second part of the 3-part interview series recorded in Morocco during the African Championships, she speaks on her upcoming marriage, on having kids, and on finding her voice on Social Media!

Now, you’re engaged to be married. So first of all congratulations!

Thank you!!

Do you have a wedding date yet, and will you be planning to start a family soon? How do you plan to weigh that up with your career aspirations?

Actually it’s sometime in November and I’m looking forward to it. But I just want to get the wedding over with. I mean when I get married I become Mrs someone, I would have a husband but then talking about a family and kids is not really in the schedule for right now. I already have so much planned out for the near future and I really want to achieve that. That’s why I just believe that when I can do this and put this in place, then the rest will follow.

So maybe kids after the next Olympics…?

Well we’ll see about that.

Your fiancé is an ex-Super Eagles player, Igho Otegheri. Have you discussed whether your children will be footballers or sprinters?

 (She laughs) Oh we always argue about that. He would be like ‘he would play soccer’ and I would be like ‘Play what? My son is not playing soccer. He can play basketball. I wouldn’t want the girl to be in Track but the thing is when they are blessed with the talent, there’s not much we can do but support them. I would really want to support my kids but I don’t want any of them to be in Track & Field.

With the two of you it seems you’re going to have some pretty talented kids….

They can just do other sports – a sport that can make them some money though!

You’ve started using social media quite effectively to make your voice heard. We’ve got some quotes here that you’ve made on Facebook, and we just wanted to ask exactly what each of them mean to you! The first one is ‘Do not mock a pain that you haven’t endured’.

It goes to people that just sit down and criticize. It’s a like the team goes for a competition and, they don’t know what I went through at the Olympics, and they say, ‘She just went there and failed’. The thing is, do you think I actually went there to fail? You don’t know what it feels like. It took me four months to get over London 2012, just to get over the whole mental setback before putting myself together. The thing is before you actually sit down to criticize someone, put yourself in the shoes of that person and see what it feels like, before jumping to conclusions.

The second one is interesting. ‘It is in the house of a coward that people gather and point to the tomb of yesterday’s warrior.’

(Laughter) I had people say so much about that. Yes the thing is some people say something right now, and they go back and change it, and they bring people together and talk about the same thing while they are not really going to do it. ‘You know I really want to be somebody, I want to do this, I want to do that’ and then they go back and change it; they don’t fulfill the things they said they were going to do. Or they just brag about something so hard but behind closed doors they do the opposite. But they bring people together and say all this stuff like….I call them cowards.

The next one is ‘When someone says you’ve changed, it simply means you’ve stopped living your life their way.’

Of course! Of course!! If I make you too happy that means I’ve been doing a lot of things that you love but the thing is you have to accept me for who I am. We might be friends but sometimes I tell people that there is so much that goes beyond friendship. Some people might go ‘You’ve changed; you’ve stopped hanging out with us’. It’s just priority based; it’s not like I changed.  

So on that note, how have you changed over the years and do you have to change to become a champion sprinter and win medals?

I’ve not really changed; I’ve just become more me and that’s Blessing Okagbare and there are certain things I can’t do. Like when I have a competition, you don’t expect me to be at the lobby trying to sit down and chit chat with people. I have to go to bed a certain time, I have to eat at a certain time. I remember how many times my coach made me go to bed in Glasgow and I couldn’t eat because it was too late, we came back from the track late. I go to bed starving and it is not fun. It is discipline. The thing is I get extremely disciplined. Like I was telling one of my friends that just graduated that when you are done with school, they start paying you a cheque. You get to another stage of your life where you just don’t say things or do things like ‘I don’t know if I want to do this thing, I’m not sure’, no you have to want it, that’s just it. I didn’t change, I just became more me, like I had to start putting more things on the priority list. The things I want right now, like I want this award, like Commonwealth GOLD medal, I’m not going for second place. This is what I want, so what is it going to take me coach? And then he says ‘This is what you have to do, you have to do this or do that’.

So the final quote from your wall is Biblical. It says ‘For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not delay.’ (Habakkuk 2:3)

Patience! It’s all about patience. Every day of my life has been a blessing, that’s what I see. I’ve been through a lot and sometimes I just feel like ‘God, you just forgot about me’ but each time I read the scriptures, there is so much I see that I’ve not even read in the Bible, that there is something called patience and you just have to be patient. When things start falling in place you will be so amazed at how wonderful it will be!

Tune in on Sunday evening for the third and final part of this Exclusive Interview with Blessing Okagbare, where she speaks on attempting the Olympic TREBLE, and she shares her thoughts on reviving Nigerian Athletics – stay tuned!

If you missed Part I, on Blessing’s CAREER and her chase for more MEDALS and RECORDS, check it out here!

BLESSING OKAGBARE, recently crowned Commonwealth 100m & 200m Champion and African 100m Champion & Record Holder, speaks EXCLUSIVELY to MAKING OF CHAMPIONS on her career, personal life and on Nigerian Athletics! In this first part of this 3-part interview series recorded in Morocco during the African Championships, she speaks on her career to date and on chasing even more medals and records!

You started off as a Long & Triple Jumper – how and when did you get your big break in your career?

Well I would say it started from my moving to the States. That was when it really started happening because I would say that was one of the best and greatest decisions I have made in my life, because if I had been in Nigeria, honestly I don’t know where I would have been right now. It actually started in 2008 at 19 when I won a bronze medal in Beijing. Then I didn’t know what it was but as the years progressed I got more education as regards to Track & Field and I figured that I had much more talent than what I was seeing so I just took it up from there.

So would you say your bronze medal kind of helped your move to the US, and getting a scholarship?

No I actually got the bronze medal after I arrived the States. That was my first year in college then.

When did you start sprinting, and when did you know that you had the potential to become a champion sprinter?

Usually we do a lot of running when we are jumping and my coach was like ‘You have a lot of speed to put on the track’ and I was like no at first. So it was actually in 2009 when he said ‘We are going to this meet and you are going to jump and do the sprints’ and I was like ‘Why?’ He said, ‘I just want you to sprint, take a break from jumping’. I was like ‘Okay, that’s fine, I’m up for it’ so I actually did and surprised myself with 11.22s, so that was it! That was how it started. Not every sprinter would just run 11.22s on their first race so for a jumper to do that, it means you’ve got the talent so I stuck to it.

What is the greatest moment in your career so far?

I would actually say the Commonwealth Games right now. It’s really new and fresh though but I think it was one of the competitions I really prepared for and everything was just in place. I was so relaxed but extremely focused, and executed much better than I have ever done in my career and it paid off.

What about when you broke the 100m African Record?

I was so happy when I won that race, just because of how fast I ran. I wasn’t worried about the African record. I was just really happy because I wasn’t expecting the race to be that fast. I was like ‘What!’ people were like ‘You’re way better than that, you just don’t know it.’

Which medal that you’ve won means the most to you?

I will say the World Championships.

Which of the two – the Silver in the Long Jump or Bronze in the 200m?

The Bronze in the 200m

Why that one in particular?

Because there is more competition in that one versus the Long Jump. It’s the biggest stage.

You’ve come a long way since the 1st Bronze in Beijing, and it took you 5 more years to get another global medal – the two medals at the World Championships. What would you say to Nigerians whom always expect instant success, and to those that wrote you off after London 2012?

Well I won’t blame them. I’m not criticizing them it’s just that we have less education when it comes to sports, and Track & Field and how it goes. I really want them to look more into this whole aspect of sports. I also want them to know that there is no magic in sports, as much as we the athletes want to go there and win, but there is always somebody who is working harder than you are, and more is being invested in that person than in you. It’s not like you don’t have the talent, you do have the talent but there is so much that makes an individual a champ. It starts from the way you eat or sleep, the people you surround yourself with, the people that educate you, the people that sponsor you, the people that tell you that you can do it, versus Nigerians, the majority of whom just criticize. They don’t have any education regarding what athletes go through. It got a little bit to me after 2012; a lot of people wrote me off but the thing is I believe God has blessed me so much more than what people just see for me to give up my career so easily. I knew that I had just started so I just kept my faith.

What are your hopes and dreams for the rest of your career?

Actually I want to do way better than I have done right now, like extremely better. I’m talking about attempting world records and putting myself in the gold medal position and I actually want to be one of the best sprinters to end up being in track and field…Sprinter slash Jumper! (she laughs).

On that note how much lower do you think you can take the 100m African Record?

I’m actually looking at a 10.5; 10.58. That’s what I’m going to work towards, which is not going to be easy.

It sounds like 9.58, like Usain Bolt?

Well, this is Blessing Okagbare. Like I said at the Commonwealth Games I’m going to work twice as hard as I have ever worked. Even a 10.7 is not an easy race I’m telling you, but that is actually my goal. I’m looking at a 10.5 in future because I’m still young and getting to my peak. Usually the peak should be between 27 and 28 and I’m 25 right now so as long as I stay healthy, I am looking at 10.5, 21.6 in the 200m, and 7.50 in the long jump. I’ve not been training for the jumps but anytime I go out there I still jump 7m so I have the talent to jump over that.

Well you’ve already answered our next question because for a long time a lot of people, including ourselves, have seen the 200m as possibly your best event. How soon do you see yourself breaking Mary Onyali’s African Record of 22.07s? When do you think you can go under 22?

I’m actually looking at it this year, with good conditions. I was trying to attempt it in Glasgow but the way they had that schedule (the semis and final on the same evening) was completely off for me. First of all the weather was horrible; it was too cold and damp so I didn’t want to push it. The semi-final was very easy for me so I was like ‘let me do it’ but after that, with the rain and everything, my coach said ‘don’t push it’. And you want to listen to the person that coaches you because they have been there before. They know the pros and cons of everything you do, so he said ‘don’t push it, just go there and win’ and that was what we did. I’m still trying to recover from the Commonwealth Games. I have still Brussels (Diamond League) so I’m hoping to run faster there. Hopefully I can attempt the 200.

Tune in later this week for the Part II of this Exclusive Interview with Blessing Okagbare, where she speaks on her upcoming wedding, on having kids, and on finding her voice on Social Media – stay tuned!

Blessing winning 100m GOLD at Marrakech 2014 in a new African Championship Record of 11.00 seconds flat!

He was not even considered to be a major contender for gold at the 2014 African Senior Championships but Cote d’Ivoire’s Hua Wilfried Koffi has turned out to be the star athlete of the tournament as he raced to the sprint double with National Records (NR) in both the 100m & 200m!

He has also etched his name in the annals of history as the third man to achieve this feat, after Nigeria’s Victor Omagbemi set the pace at the 1992 Championships, while Former World and Commonwealth Champion over 200m, Frankie Fredericks of Namibia did same a decade later in Tunisia.

The 26-year old was not even listed among the continent’s Top 10 in the 100m prior to the championships as he came to Marrakech with a Season’s Best (SB) of 10.21s. South Africa’s Simon Magakwe and Akani Simbine as well as Nigeria’s Mark Jelks were considered top contenders for the highly coveted title, but it was the Ivorian who stormed to the title on Day 2 of the competition with a Personal Best (PB) and National Record of 10.05s ahead of the Nigerian pair of Jelks and Monzavous Edwards. It is also the fourth fastest time recorded by an African this season. Ogho-Oghene Egwero finished fifth in the race.

Koffi admitted that he felt a bit scared going against Nigeria in the 100m as the country is reputed to have the best sprinters on the continent.

He said, “When I woke up this morning I said God please help me to win this race and my coach sent me a message that I was going to break my record. He said ‘just think that you are alone in the race’, and I did. There were three Nigerians in the final, and Nigerians are known for their prowess in the sprints so when you go against them you feel a little bit afraid. But I asked God to help me and my dream materialized.”

Not done with winning the ultimate prize and setting records, Koffi, who was rated Africa’s No.5 over 200m with a time of 20.45s stunned the continent’s fastest man over the distance, Isaac Makwala, in the finals as he set another PB and NR of 20.25s, while the Batswana followed in 20.51s. Prior to the championships, Lesotho’s Mosito Lehata (20.36s), and the South African pair of Akani Simbine (20.37s) and Titi Ncicihli (20.41s) had faster times but eventually succumbed to the Ivorian’s superior strides.

Koffi is no stranger to the African Championships though, as he is making his third appearance in the biannual competition. He won bronze over the 100m at the 2012 championships in Benin and added another bronze medal at the 2013 Universaide where he competed for Shanghai University. However his recent feat is surprising for an athlete who is not yet sure of how far he intends to pursue a career in athletics, as he gets set to commence a doctorate programme in China.

“I train in China”, he told MoC. “When I told someone about it, they were surprised. It’s really not easy in China because we do not have many competitors there. I train alone and my coach is based in Germany so I receive my training programme via text messages or email but God just helps me to train every day. I don’t know for how long I will continue to train there because I am about to start a PHD programme in September. I don’t know if I will leave the track or if I will continue.”

Qualifying for the Continental Cup is a big deal for Koffi who says his goal is to do a sub-10 at the championships:

“The next step is to prepare for the continental Cup. My expectations are high because it is a dream come true for me; it’s a big deal. My aim is to break the 10s barrier and run as fast as Nigeria’s Olusoji Fasuba who ran 9.85s.”

If Koffi Hua was the standout athlete of the tournament, and honourable mention must go to Isaac Makwala, who became the African 400m Record Holder this season, and was also the fastest on the continent over the 200m this season (both times were set on the same day). At these championships, Makwala won the 400m, finished 2^nd a couple of days later in the 200m, and then returned a couple of hours later to lead Botswana to a stunning GOLD in the 4x400m over Nigeria in a new National Record!