Regina George & Tosin Oke return to the Diamond League, as Okagbare goes for 200m record

10 Jul

Nigeria’s poster girl in the 400m, Regina George will make a much awaited return to the IAAF Diamond League, in the ninth leg, tagged the ‘Sainsbury’s Glasgow Grand Prix’ slated to hold on July 11 and 12 in the Scottish city which will be hosting the Commonwealth Games later this month.

George’s race, which comes up at 8.38pm on Friday (July 11), will count as only the second Diamond League event she has featured in this season. The first was in Shanghai (May 18) where she finished eighth with a time of 51.39s. The 23 year old has not recorded much progress in the individual 400m since then, though she did post a top-notch performance at the inaugural IAAF World Relays in the Bahamas, where she led Nigeria’s 4x400m to a bronze medal with an impressive 49.4s split on the second leg, which was the fastest by any athlete in the race.

Her chase for a third Nigerian title ended in a shock defeat for George, as she finished outside the podium during the national trials held in Calabar last month. Her fellow World Relay Bronze medallists finished ahead of her – Folashade Abugan won the title in 51.39s, with Omolara Omotosho and Patience Okon George crossing the finish line ahead of Regina, who placed fourth with 51.67s.

Nevertheless her victory in Tuesday’s Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix may boost her confidence ahead of Friday’s race, even though she could only manage a winning time of 52.11s. Compatriot Gloria Asumnu also featured in the women’s 100m where she returned a time of 11.58 in fifth place, just after former world champion, Carmelita Jeter who was fourth with an SB of 11.56s.

George comes into the two-day competition with an SB of 51.30s and will face the herculean task of trying to upstage some of the big names in the women’s 400m including Olympic champion, Sanya Richards-Ross who won the event in Paris last week. Former world champion, Amantle Montsho who is the Commonwealth Games defending champion and USA Champion Francena McCorory will also be on ground to spice up the race, alongside the Jamaican duo of Ann Stephanie Ann McPherson and Novlene Williams-Mills. Reigning world champion, Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain is not expected to pose a challenge as she comes to the competition with the slowest SB among the pack (53.14s).

Another Nigerian interest, in the men’s triple jump, is Tosin Oke, who currently doubles as the African and Commonwealth Games champion. The Nigerian champion no doubt wants to test the waters ahead of the Commonwealth Games, and is in form to do so, going by his jump of 17.21m at the national trials in Calabar, which equalled the third best jump of his career. He goes against a star studded field which includes two London 2012 Olympic medallists, Christian Taylor and Will Claye and Cuba’s Ernesto Reve who has an SB of 17.58m. This event comes up on Saturday (July 12) at 3.50pm at Hampden Park.

Last but by no means the least, Nigeria’s sprint queen Blessing Okagbare will once again race in the 200m on Saturday at 4.07pm. The Sainsbury Grand Prix surely holds a special place in the sprinter’s heart, going by her exploits during last year’s edition of the event, which was held in London to commemorate the Olympic Games. The Delta State athlete set a new African record of 10.86s in the heats, which eclipsed Glory Alozie’s existing record of 10.90s, and further lowered her time to win the final an hour later in 10.79s.

Okagbare has been concentrating on the 200m this season and will be looking forward to setting a record over the event soon. She currently tops the Diamond League rankings with 10 points, having won the 200m in Shanghai and Paris, and placed second in Eugene with a Personal Best of 22.23s, making her the third fastest Nigerian of all time, after Mary Onyali (22.07s) and Falilat Ogunkoya (22.22s).  Will the Sainsbury Grand Prix be the place where she sets another African record? World leader, Tori Bowie (22.18s), three-time world champion Allyson Felix and Jamaica’s double world champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce will be forces to contend with come Saturday.

The women’s 100m race comes up on Saturday and Cote d’Ivoire’s Murielle Ahouré will run in the 100m alongside world leader this season, Trinidad & Tobago’s Michelle Lee-Ahye (10.85s), Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and USA’s Carmelita Jeter, who is still struggling to hit top form this season. Jeter, the second fastest woman ever and former world champion comes to the meeting with an unimpressive SB of 11.56s.

Also watch out for Botswana’s Isaac Makwala who recently emerged as Africa’s fastest man in the 400m. The sprinter erased Gary Kikaya’s eight-year record of 44.10s with a new time of 44.01s at the Resisprint International meeting in the Switzerland, and then returned a time of 19.96s in the 200m to set another national record just ninety minutes later!

Jamaican star, Yohan Blake is the big name in the men’s 100m which takes place on Friday. He will go against Great Britain’s James Dasaolu, USA’s Michael Rodgers and Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago amongst others.

 

Follow the Glasgow Diamond League LIVE on Supersport, Friday 7-9pm SS6A (DSTV 206), AND Saturday 3-5pm SS2A (DSTV 202)

 

 

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Okagbare sets the pace in Paris with 200m victory!

6 Jul

Nigeria’s queen of the track Blessing Okagbare bounced back to winning ways during Saturday’s IAAF Diamond League Meeting at the Stade de France in Paris, where she returned a time of 22.32s to secure a win in the women’s 200m. This feat counts as her third victory in her 2014 Diamond League campaign and ninth overall in her career.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZSbsD21D-8

This victory will have re-confirmed Blessing’s position as a favourite for Commonwealth GOLD medals in the sprints later this month. In the 100 metres only two days ago in Lausanne, Okagbare did not finish the race after she stumbled out of the blocks, but she quickly shook off that disappointment and took the day in a keenly contested 200m race, which had the likes of Olympic champion, USA’s Allyson Felix and World Champion over 100m and 200m, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica in tow. 

Okagbare, no doubt aided by her longer strides, held her form well in the final 80m to edge out the stadium record holder Felix, who had taken the lead just around the curve. Felix, a three-time world champion, finished with a Season’s Best (SB) of 22.34s, just 0.02s off Blessing’s winning time.  Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas was third in 22.54s, while Fraser-Pryce, who is still battling with her fitness levels, finished a disappointing fifth in 22.63s. 

Okagbare’s exploits have earned her the top spot in the 200m ranking with 10 Diamond Race points in her kitty. She won the event at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in May with a Meeting Record (MR) of 22.36, and the long jump as well (with another MR of 6.86m). She also finished second in the 200 (behind sprinting revelation, Tori Bowie of the US) at the subsequent Diamond League meeting in Oregon with a Personal Best (PB) of 22.23s. Barring an upturn in Fraser-Pryce’s form this season, Okagbare is looking like the favourite to win the 200m GOLD at the Commonwealth Games!

In other events, the men’s 100m turned out to be a dramatic one following the disqualification of Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade, who spent several minutes on the track protesting his false start before eventually being ushered away.  USA’s Michael Rodgers eventually won the race in 10 seconds flat, while Trinidad and Tobago’s Richard Thompson and 38 year-old Kim Collins of St Kitts & Nevis placed second and third in 10.08 and 10.10 (SB) respectively. Great Britain’s Chijindu Ujah, who was  competing in the Diamond League for the first time ever, placed sixth with 10.20s, while former European champion Christophe Lemaitre, despite massive home support, was unable to give his fans much to cheer, as he was the last athlete to cross the finish line –  he did however post an SB of 10.28s.

French fans however did have a hat-trick of wins to be excited about –  Renaud Lavillenie’s domination in the men’s Pole Vault with 5.70m,  Eloyse Lesueur, who upstaged USA’s Triple World Champion Brittney Reese in the Long Jump, with a PB of 6.92m, and  Benjamin Compaore, who emerged the surprise winner of the Men’s Triple Jump in 17.12m, just 1cm ahead of Olympic champion, USA’s Christian Taylor! 

Reigning 400m Olympic champion, Sanya Richards-Ross crossed the line in 50.10s to secure her first Diamond League win this season, a huge improvement from her first race of the season in Eugene, where she placed a distant sixth with a time of 51.29s. African and Commonwealth Champion Amantle Montsho could only salvage a fourth place finish (50.70s) in what was her fourth Diamond League outing in 2014, after Shanghai, Eugene and Oslo. 

With the Commonwealth Games just around the corner, Montsho will have her work cut out to stave off competition from Stephanie Ann McPherson and Novlene Williams-Mills to retain her 400m title – the Jamaican duo finished ahead of her in Paris in second and third, with times of 50.40s and 50.68s respectively!

The next leg of the IAAF Diamond League is slated to hold between July 11 and 12 in Glasgow, venue of the Commonwealth Games later this month!

 

2014 Diamond League Calendar

Doha, QAT – 9 May

Shanghai, CHN – 18 May

Eugene, USA – 31 May

Rome, ITA – 5 Jun

Oslo, NOR – 11 Jun

New York, USA – 14 Jun

Lausanne, SUI – 3 Jul

Paris, FRA – 5 Jul

Glasgow, GBR – 11-12 Jul

Monaco, MON – 18 Jul

Stockholm, SWE – 21 Aug

Birmingham, GBR – 24 Aug

Zurich, SUI – 28 Aug

Brussels, BEL – 5 Sep

 

 

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Athlete Interview: ALEX AL-AMEEN – 2nd place in 110m Hurdles at Nigerian Trials, formerly of Team GB!!!

4 Jul

25 year-old Alex Al-Ameen speaks exclusively to MAKING OF CHAMPIONS after finishing 2nd in the 110 metre hurdles (in 13.75s) at the 2014 Nigerian Trials

Congratulations for your 2nd place in the 110 hurdles at the Nigerian Trials. How do you feel about your race?

It was an okay race – I didn’t get out as well as I did yesterday (in the semis), but I had to go to the passport office this morning. They made me wait there for an hour, and then when I got here, the race was delayed by half an hour, so considering the conditions, I reckon that I ran an okay race

I can detect a bit of a British accent in your voice? How long have you been competing for Nigeria?

Yes, I am from London. This is my first time competing at the Nigerian Championships. My dad is Nigerian, and my mum is English, and I just recently got my (Nigerian) passport, so I am able to compete for Nigeria this year at the Commonwealth Games and African Champs. 

So how long have you been an athlete?

I’ve been doing it since I was 14. I went to the World Junior Championships for Great Britain and made the semi-finals, and I have been doing it ever since. This year, I’ve started taking it seriously with my coach, and ever since then I have been running PBs – I can’t complain

How old are you now?

I just turned 25.

So what made you decide to switch from representing Team GB to representing Nigeria?

Well, to be honest, I didn’t get picked by England for the Commonwealth Games, I was No. 4 for Great Britain. I knew that if I came to Nigeria I might have the opportunity to compete at the highest level, because I know that I can perform at the highest level. That’s how I came to my decision

So your 2nd place here means you have qualified for the Commonwealth Games for Team Nigeria, so congratulations. 

Thank you.

How do you feel about going up against the other countries, particularly the England team which you didn’t get into? What are your hopes for the Commonwealth Games?

Well, to be honest, my aspirations are to make the final, and I believe that I can mix it with the best of them. I just got my visa on Monday and booked my flight and come straight here, so my preparation hasn’t been that good for these championships, but I know that I am getting better with every race. Yesterday I ran 13.56s, my second fastest time, so I am getting better with every race. 

Ok, well congratulations again and see you at the Commonwealth Games!

Thank you.

Alex Al-Ameen, recently switched allegiances from Team GB, and placed second in the 110m Hurdles at the 2014 Nigerian Trials (his father is Nigerian)

Alex Al-Ameen, recently switched allegiances from Team GB, and placed second in the 110m Hurdles at the 2014 Nigerian Trials (his father is Nigerian)

* A week after the Nigerian Trials, Al-Ameen also competed at the British Athletics Championships (last weekend) in the 110m Hurdles, finishing 3rd in 13.64s. At this stage it is unclear whether this means he is still in contention for a place on Team England for the Commonwealth Games, after having already been named in Team Nigeria for the Commonwealth Games.

One former Nigerian Athlete who has made his feelings about the recruitment of US and UK athletes to Team Nigeria is Double Olympic Medallist Enefiok Udo-Obong, who did not mince words earlier this week on his blog where he expressed his strong feelings about Al-Ameen’s candidacy to represent Nigeria!

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Okagbare slips in Lausanne 100m, but returns for the Paris Diamond League 200m tomorrow!

4 Jul

Blessing Okagbare’s much awaited return to Diamond League action in Lausanne last night proved to be an anti-climax, as she stumbled out of her blocks and opted not to finish the race, as it was clear that she had lost it in the first few strides. Trinidad & Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye, who is quickly emerging as Blessing’s main rival for the 100m Commonwealth GOLD, took full advantage and raced to victory in 10.98 seconds, with Cote d’Ivoire’s Murielle Ahouré second in a photo finish with the same time! Following the the late withdrawals of Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown and USA’s Tori Bowie from the race, the path had seemed clear for an Okagbare victory, but her slip put paid to those hopes, though after her trip she would have been more concerned with staying injury-free rather than finishing the race – and rightly so!

The biggest story of the night was undoubtedly the men’s 100 metres, which saw the return of Tyson Gay from his well-publicised 1 year drug ban, a punishment that many in the Athletics world have felt was too lenient. Tyson Gay ran 9.93s on his return, placing second in an American 1-2-3, with Justin  Gatlin winning with a new world leading (WL) time this season of 9.80s and Mike Rodgers third in 9.98s – ALL THREE of them have served drug bans at some stage of their careers! Kirani James and LeShawn Merritt continued their intriguing 400m rivalry, with James coming out on top this time in 43.74s (a new WL, PB and National Record for Grenada!), with Merritt 2nd in an Season’s Best (SB) of 43.92s. Jamaica’s Yohan Blake finished  a disappointing 6th in the 200m in 20.48s, with Panama’s Alonso Edward winning in 19.84s (SB), while Qatar’s Nigerian-born Femi Ogunode was 5th in 20.25s.

Thankfully, Okagbare fans will not have to wait long to see her in action again, as she will appear in the 200 metres at the Paris Diamond League tomorrow (Saturday July 5th)! Once again, it is a loaded field and Blessing will to be on the very top of her game to best the likes of USA’s Multiple World and Olympic 200m Champion, Alyson Felix and Jamaica’s Current 200m World Champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, though the latter has struggled for form this season. Tori Bowie is also on the start-list in Paris, and she will certainly be a threat to Okagbare’s hopes of winning this – one might recall that in her very first Diamond League 200m race after switching events from the Long Jump, Bowie shocked Okagbare and the rest of the field from Lane 1 in Eugene!

In other events holding at the ‘Meeting Areva’ in the Stade de France tomorrow, Okagbare has again opted not to participate in the long jump event that will see the likes of reigning Olympic and World champion, Brittney Reese, Tianna Bartoletta and Funmi Jimoh (all of USA). Former 400m World champion, Amantle Montsho, is still trying to find her best form this season (SB 50.37s) and will race in the keenly contested women’s 400m, alongside USA’s Olympic Champion Sanya Richards-Ross, who has run sub-50 this season (SB 49.66s), as well as Jamaica’s Novlene Williams-Mills, who has posted an impressive time of 50.05s this season.

There is an interesting inclusion in the men’s 100m as a British athlete with Nigerian roots, Chijindu Ujah, is set to make his Diamond League debut. The 100m Champion at the 2013 European Junior Championships recently broke the 10 second barrier with a time of 9.96sec in Hengelo, Holland last month, making him the third fastest Brit in history! He will go against the world’s fastest man this season, Richard Thompson (9.82s) from Trinidad and Tobago, and the likes of veteran former World Champion Kim Collins and the Jamaican trio of Nickel Ashmaede, Kemar Bailey-Cole and Nesta Carter!

For Nigerian viewers, SuperSport 6 (DSTV Channel 206) will show the Meeting Areva (Paris Diamond League) LIVE from 7-9pm on Saturday July 5th. Blessing Okagbare goes in the women’s 200 metres at 7.42pm – Don’t miss it!

 

2014 IAAF Diamond League calendar

Doha, QAT – 9 May

Shanghai, CHN – 18 May

Eugene, USA – 31 May

Rome, ITA – 5 Jun

Oslo, NOR – 11 Jun

New York, USA – 14 Jun

Lausanne, SUI – 3 Jul

Paris, FRA – 5 Jul

Glasgow, GBR – 11-12 Jul

Monaco, MON – 18 Jul

Stockholm, SWE – 21 Aug

Birmingham, GBR – 24 Aug

Zurich, SUI – 28 Aug

Brussels, BEL – 5 Sep

 

 

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Athlete Interview: MONZAVOUS EDWARDS – 2nd place in 100m at Nigerian Trials, formerly of Team USA!!!

3 Jul

33 year-old Monzavous Edwards speaks exclusively to MAKING OF CHAMPIONS after finishing 2nd in the 100 metres (in 10.39s into -2.3 m/s headwind) at the 2014 Nigerian Trials

Monzavous, how are you feeling about your performance?

I’ll take it. I know it’s not my best, but you can never complain when the main focus was to make it to the Commonwealth. I finished in the Top 3, so the main objective was completed. I’m not satisfied, nor happy with my result, but like I said, I’ll take it.

These Trials and the Warri Relays last week – is it your first times competing for Team Nigeria? 

Yes

Can you tell us about your journey from competing for USA to Nigeria – what made you decide to make the switch?

It was an appreciation for the sport, and more of an appreciation of me as an athlete and a sprinter. In America there’s so much competition that it is hard to be appreciated for all the hard work that you put in. And having the chance to get with my family and switch to Nigeria. Since I’ve made that switch, I’ve felt more than appreciated as a professional athlete. So that was the main reason for it.

You mentioned your family just now. Can you tell us a bit about that – what are your connections to Nigeria, in terms of your heritage?

It’s from my grandparents. Actually, it’s from my great-great-grandparents, if I said that right. Let me see…1, 2 (counts on his fingers)…yeah I said it right. 

So what’s your PB in the 100 metres?

9.95 seconds

Wow, that’s impressive. When did you do that?

In 2010.

What are your hopes for the Commonwealth Games, and competing for Team Nigeria generally – do you think you can take your PB lower? 

Actually, I know I can because for the last 2 years I have dealt with injuries so it’s been a climb to get back. I know where my training is at, and I know where I am at. I’ve only been here a week, and it usually takes my body up to 10 days to get acclimated, so I know that I am sub-10 ready. For the Commonwealth Games I am looking to make sure that I win, with something around the 9.8 range, because I will have time to get there and get used to it. Athletes are different and bodies are different. Some athletes can get acclimated quicker, some take longer. I’ve been doing this sport for some years now and it takes me about 10 days. 

You better get to Glasgow quickly then?

Yeah I already told them, I need to be in Glasgow like 2 weeks before!

Is this your first time in Nigeria? What has the experience been like so far?

Yes. So far I have loved. I have to be honest with you, I have loved every bit of it. The weather is a bit hot, but other than that it’s been wonderful

Final question for you. Best to get this out of the way now because you will get it later on down the line – can you tell us about the gold teeth?

Well, I had an accident back in 2013 – I actually have a metal plate in my chin, and I lost some teeth in the accident, so I had my mouth wired shut for 3 months, so that’s actually how I got the gold teeth. 

Was it a car accident?

No actually I fainted – I had a mild seizure and when I fell, I fell on my face. So this is a metal plate – I lost all these teeth at the top, and the ones at the bottom don’t work as the nerves are dead. 

Wow, so there’s a good reason for it.

Oh yeah, yeah. It’s not for fashion! Definitely not for fashion! 

Monzavous 'Jolomi' Edwards, recently switched allegiances from Team USA, and placed second in the 100 metres at the 2014 Nigerian Trials

Monzavous ‘Jolomi’ Edwards, recently switched allegiances from Team USA, and placed second in the 100 metres at the 2014 Nigerian Trials

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Blessing Okagbare returns to Diamond League action in Lausanne while Tyson Gay returns after 1 year drug suspension!!

2 Jul

Having stamped her mark as the athlete to beat in the sprints on the home front, Africa’s record holder over 100m, Blessing Okagbare will take on the world’s best as she competes first in the 100m at the Diamond League in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 3, and then the 200m in Paris, France two days later, after missing the last few Diamond League events

Blessing is the only Nigerian interest in both meets and whilst athletics fans may be wondering how she hopes to successfully dominate in both sprints on the world stage, the 25-year old has made no secret of the fact that she is concentrating on the sprints this season. Two weeks ago, she won the 100m for the sixth consecutive time at the national trials in Calabar, where she returned a time of 11.06s, and then won the 200m in 22.62s, while opting out of the long jump, which happens to be the event that brought her into limelight, having won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing as an 18-year old. She has already stated that she may not compete in the jumps at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, though she had been tipped to win easily since her fiercest rival, USA’s Brittney Reese would not be competing in the games.

A total of 17 Olympic and world champions will be part of the line-up for the 39th edition of the IAAF Diamond League in Lausanne. The Women’s 100m field at the Athlessima Lausanne on Thursday will be a tight one, following the return of Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown, who was recently cleared of doping charges by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after failing a drug test in May 2013. Campbell-Brown has a Personal Best of 10.76s, a Season’s best of 10.86s and clocked 10.96s to win the Jamaican trials over the weekend.

Murielle Ahouré, Cote d’Ivoire’s 100m World Silver Medallist, is also on the start-list, as is USA’s Tori Bowie Torie who will not be resting on her oars, the long umper come sprinter having won three straight Diamond League races (200m in Eugene, 100m in Rome and New York). Campbell-Brown, Bowie and Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye have all done sub-11s this season, so Blessing will have her work cut out for her to win this race and will likely need go under 11 seconds  for the first time this season to claim the victory!  Even USA’s English Gardner, Okagbare’s training partner who beat her in the World Championship 100m finals last year, has also run faster than Blessing this year, in 11.01s!

Nigerian-born Qatari sprinter, Femi Ogunode will also be in action at the Pontaise Stadium in Lausanne, where he will compete in the 200m against the likes of Jamaica’s Olympic Silver Medallist over the distance, Yohan Blake, who returns to the track where he set his 100m PB of 9.69s in 2011. Ogunode has one of the fastest Season’s Bests (20.06s) amongst the pack, as only Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade (19.95s) and Alonso Edward of Panama (19.81s) have run faster this year.Other notable athletes featuring in the race are former European Champion, Christophe Lemaitre of France, and Gambian-born Jaysuma Saidy Ndure of Norway.

Last but certainly not least, the men’s 100m promises to be an explosive event as American sprinter, Tyson Gay makes a controversially early return after completing a 12-month backdated suspension for testing positive for an anabolic steroid – a punishment that many in the Athletics world viewed as far too lenient for the crime. The former World Champion who has a lifetime best of 9.69s will face a stiff challenge from his compatriot, Justin Gatlin, the second fastest man this season with a time of 9.86s. Two other Americans, Micheal Rodgers and Ryan Bailey, 38-year old former World Champion, Kim Collins, and Jamaica’s Kemar Bailey-Cole also feature in the race – it will be interesting to see the reaction from fans and athletes alike if Tyson Gay wins in a very fast time!

For Nigerian viewers, SuperSport 9 (DSTV Channel 209) will show the Lausanne Diamond League meet LIVE from 7 – 9pm Nigerian time on Thursday (July 3). Blessing Okagbare goes in the women’s 100 metres at 7.28pm – Don’t miss it! 

 

2014 IAAF Diamond League calendar

Doha, QAT – 9 May

Shanghai, CHN – 18 May

Eugene, USA – 31 May

Rome, ITA – 5 Jun

Oslo, NOR – 11 Jun

New York, USA – 14 Jun

Lausanne, SUI – 3 Jul

Paris, FRA – 5 Jul

Glasgow, GBR – 11-12 Jul

Monaco, MON – 18 Jul

Stockholm, SWE – 21 Aug

Birmingham, GBR – 24 Aug

Zurich, SUI – 28 Aug

Brussels, BEL – 5 Sep

 

Athlete Interview: TYRON AKINS – Nigeria’s 110m Hurdles Champion, formerly of Team USA!!!

2 Jul

28 year-old Tyron Akins, winner of the 100m Hurdles at the 2014 Nigerian Trials (in a time of 13.66 seconds) speaks exclusively to MAKING OF CHAMPIONS on his decision to switch from Team USA to Team Nigeria, and on his family links to Nigeria! 

Tyron, how are you feeling about your win here at the Nigerian Trials?

I’m feel pretty good, we had a little delay just before with the women’s hurdles, where something went wrong with the timing system, but I was able to re-focus on the task at hand which was trying to win the race.

Now you were also at the Warri Relays last week – how did you do over there?

Well I felt really good about the Warri Relays but unfortunately I hit hurdles 5 and 6 and that pretty much put me out of the race. Being a hurdler those types of things happen, so I was put out of the race by that – I came fourth though.

So is this your first time competing in Nigeria, and for Nigeria?

Yes it is.

Could you tell us about how you came to switch from the US to represent Nigeria?

Well, it was an opportunity that arose for me, so I was like yeah, I would like to do that. I have always followed Nigeria Track & Field as well, being that I am good friends with Blessing (Okagbare), so I’ve always kept up with what was happening over here. So when the opportunity arose for me to do it, I was able to take advantage of it. So I’m here now!

Do you have any family or heritage from Nigeria?

I do, I do. Uhm…somewhere down the line but it’s there!

A lot of Nigerians will be wondering – how does it work? Don’t you have to have some kind of close parentage or family links in Nigeria to make the switch?

You’ve got to have some sort of proof that you have that family. At least that’s my understanding, and I was lucky enough to go down the family tree to find that.

So how far down the family tree does it go?

I don’t know exactly, but I think it was pretty deep!

So what is your Personal Best in the 100m Hurdles and when did you do it?

My PB is 13.25 seconds, and I did that in 2008. So it’s been a while, but from 2009 to 2012, I was consistently in the 13.30’s, and I had an off year in 2013, so I’m trying to get back to form now, and everything is falling into place it should be.

Now that you’re getting started with your Nigeria career, what are your hopes for the future, starting with the Commonwealth Games?

The goal is to medal, to consistently get on the podium. I think, whenever you represent any country, you want to consistently be on the podium, or in contention for the podium. So everything I am doing is to try to medal at every Championships – Commonwealth, African Championships, All-Africa Games next year, then the World Championships, the Olympics and all of that. So those are my goals for now.

Have you competed before (for Team USA) at a World Championships or an Olympics?

No I have not.

So that’s something to look forward to?

Absolutely, and I can’t wait!

How fast are you on the flat (100 metres)? You know that our guys need some help in that department…

Well, it’s a mix, because on record they’ve got me at 10.78s into a 2.0 m/s headwind, but I think my best was 10.49s

So you think you might try out the flat at some point?

No, can’t do it! Can’t do it!

Ok, congratulations again, and thank you for your time!

Thank you

Tyron 'Toritseju' Akins, 2014 Nigerian 110m Hurdles Champion, recently switched allegiances from Team USA

Tyron ‘Toritseju’ Akins, 2014 Nigerian 110m Hurdles Champion,
recently switched allegiances from Team USA

 

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Athlete Interview: NICHOLE DENBY – Nigeria’s 100m Hurdles Champion, formerly of Team USA!!!

1 Jul

31 year-old Nichole Denby, winner of the 100m Hurdles at the 2014 Nigerian Trials (in 13.29 seconds) speaks exclusively to MAKING OF CHAMPIONS on her decision to switch from Team USA to Team Nigeria, and on her family links to Nigeria! 

Nichole, how are you feeling about your win?

I feel great. All the girls were really great today. The weather’s great out here, the track is great, so my goal from here on out in my career is to just go for the wins. Don’t think about times or anything else – the wins are what I am going for every time I step on the track. I’m very happy for the opportunity to make the Commonwealth Games with the other girls. I’ve never run at the Commonwealth Games so I’m really excited to do that. I’m really really happy.

I believe this is your second meet in Nigeria, after attending the Warri Relays last week. Can you tell us about the path that led you to competing for Nigeria for the first time?

Well, I’m hoping to come away with a medal at the Commonwealth Games, and hoping to do really well at the African Championships as well, to make the team to the Intercontinental World Cup. That will also be my first time competing there, so I’m getting all these great opportunities and I’m going to take advantage of them. Hopefully, we can put Nigeria on top in the 100m Hurdles once again.

The question we were getting at, and what a lot of Nigerians will be wanting to know, is how you made the decision to switch from the US to Nigeria?

Well I have some family down the line from Nigeria, and I’ve made a lot of USA teams as well to World Championships and Olympics, but it is such a great honour to compete for an African country where my roots come from, and there is no greater honour for me than to do that. The USA is saturated with athletes, they have so many different people, so they really don’t need anyone else. For a country like this in Africa, there is no great honour for me to represent a country like this in Africa, it really is (an honour).

Do you know how far down your family line your connection to Nigeria comes from? Is it from your grandparents or further down?

It’s on my mother’s side. I don’t even know them, I never met them, I have just seen pictures of them and stuff so yeah, my great-grandfather was actually from Nigeria. 

So do you have a Nigerian passport now?

Yes, I’ve had it for a while now!

So what are your hopes for the Commonwealth Games and the rest of your career?

I’m hoping to come away with a medal. Obviously the GOLD medal would be great, but any medal would be great for me at the Commonwealth Games. Like I said, to win at the African Championships and go ahead and medal at the Continental World Cup, and just stay a Champion for the rest of my career! I’m hoping to go until after the next Olympics, till the World Championships in 2017 and we’ll see how it goes from there. 

What’s your PB in the 100m Hurdles?

12.54 seconds

That’s pretty fast. And how fast are you on the flat? Any chance you could help our 4x100m girls win some medals?

I was on the 4x100m team at the Warri Relays last week, and we won. But I’m not a pure sprinter, and we have lots of great sprinters here in Nigeria, so I’m going to give that job to the real sprinters, and I’m going to stick to my job over here!

Great! So we’ll look out for you in the 100m Hurdles at the Commonwealth Games and the African Championships. Congratulations on the win today.

Thank you!

 

Nichole Denby, 2014 Nigerian 100m Hurdles Champion, recently switched allegiances from USA.

Nichole Denby, 2014 Nigerian 100m Hurdles Champion, recently switched allegiances from USA.

Athlete Interview: MARK JELKS – Nigeria’s 100m Champion, formerly of Team USA!!!

30 Jun

30 year-old Mark Jelks, Nigeria’s latest fastest man, talks to the Nigerian press immediately after his win in the 100 metres, in a time of 10.23 seconds (-2.3 m/s wind) at the Nigerian Trials at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar on June 20th, 2014…

How do you feel after winning your first Nigerian 100 metre Title?

I’m tired, hungry, sleepy…did I mention hungry? Men, it is breath-taking to be here. Seriously, I’m in awe right now. Words can’t accurately express what I feel right now. 

Right, we know that you didn’t just think that you were going to waltz in here and win this. Was there anything special you had to do to win here today?

You know, I just had to keep faith in what my training has been, and I knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy win. These guys are hungry to win out here on the track, so I just kept faith in what my coach and I had been working on.

So next stop for you is the Commonwealth Games

Yes, yes! I am ready, I am excited.

We are experiencing a time in Nigerian Athletics where our men are not doing very well. Last year at the World Championships our men could not progress beyond the heats. Now looking forward to the Commonwealth Games you are the Nigerian Champion, you’re the new kid on the block, you’ve beaten former Champions Ogho-Oghene Egwero and Obinna Metu to win the title. Are we going to see you perform better with regards to your time?

I am here to win medals. I am here to represent to the best of my abilities. I will go past rounds, I will make the finals, and I will get medals.

Mark, can you tell us what made you decide to switch allegiance from Team USA to represent Nigeria? 

The opportunity to represent a great country. Seriously, there are more opportunities here to flourish, to be great and to have the opportunity to get to the bigger stage. So that was the deciding factor for me

So what was the process of switching like? Do you have any parents, grandparents or someone in your ancestry who is from Nigeria? How does it work? 

Yeah, my ‘Papa’! I call him Papa, he’s my grand-dad. My uncle still stays here, so I decided to explore that side of my family.

And for Nigerian fans, can you tell us where your Papa is from?

Warri South.

What was your preparation like ahead of winning the Nigerian 100m title here?

The preparation is gruelling, it hurts. That is why I respect all those guys in the final, because they hurt just as much as I hurt. Every day they go out and do the same types of things that I am doing, to make the final, to represent, to get on the team, so it’s humbling and at the same time, exciting.

Mark 'Amuju' Jelks, 2014 Nigerian 100m Champion, recently switched allegiances from Team USA

Mark ‘Amuju’ Jelks, 2014 Nigerian 100m Champion, recently switched allegiances from Team USA

 

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Nigeria’s new American Athletes – Should they be running for Nigeria???

30 Jun

The Nigerian Athletics Championships which wrapped up a week ago in Calabar seemed to usher in a new era in Nigerian Athletics – one which could see American athletes who have switched allegiances to dominate Nigerian Track & Field for some time to come, if there continues to be no serious effort or investment by the AFN or the private sector to develop athletes in Nigeria.

Athletes switching from USA to Nigeria has not been uncommon in the past few years. Indeed, Blessing Okagbare aside, most of the top athletes representing Nigeria currently, such as Regina George and Gloria Asumnu, once donned the blue, red and white of Team USA. That said, never has the systematic switch of allegiances of Americans to Nigeria caused as much controversy as it is causing right now, because in the past, the links that the athletes had to Nigeria were plainly obvious – within their names, and for the clear fact that either one or both of their parents were Nigeria. The only difference between them and other Nigerians was being born and brought up in the US.

What we are currently witnessing seems to be a completely new trend. Now, it seems that we’re no longer satisfied with recruiting Nigerians who were born and bred in America. The latest swathe of athletes recruited, who waltzed into Nigeria for the first time in their lives to dominate at the Nigerian Trials, would appear to have questionable links to Nigeria at best, completely fabricated at worst. We EXCLUSIVELY interviewed each of these new athletes at the Trials, so every day this week, we will be publishing the interviews with each of them, and asking you the public the questions that will inevitably arise – are these athletes really Nigerian? Were they really eligible to receive Nigerian Passports? Should they really be competing for Nigeria?

Probably the most critical question that arises is this – why are we expending great resources and efforts recruiting athletes who are not good enough to compete for USA, while we lose our best World-Class talents, such as Kemi Adekoya and Femi Ogunode, to the likes of Bahrain and Qatar respectively? Essentially, it would appear that we are mortgaging the futures of our best talents to take in these Americans, most of whom are in the twilight of their careers and will not make it past Rio 2016, even if they make it that far. Tell us what you think about each interview – interestingly, when asked about their family links to Nigeria, the responses we got ranged from parent, to grandparent, great-grandparent and even great-great-grandparent!

A quick check of Nigerian citizenship law shows that there are only 3 ways to obtain Nigerian nationality: (1) By birth (2) By registration (a woman married to a Nigerian man can obtain citizenship) and (3) By naturalisation (must have resided in Nigeria for 15 years). As such, the only way these athletes could possibly qualify is through birth: “A citizen by birth in Nigeria is a person who was born in Nigeria before or after independence and whose parents or grandparents belonged to a community indigenous to Nigeria, or any person born outside Nigeria either of whose parents is a citizen of Nigeria.“

Essentially, it seems rather unlikely that any athlete who does not have at least one parent who is Nigerian could possibly be eligible to receive a Nigerian passport and hence compete for Team Nigeria. It does appears the law may include a loophole, which states that people born outside Nigeria but with a Nigerian grandparent may be registered (by none other than the President himself) as a citizen of Nigeria if, among other stipulations, the person has shown a clear intention to be domiciled in Nigeria. So at a stretch, any of these athletes with a Nigerian grandparent could possibly squeeze in, but do you really see any of them intending to spend any time in Nigeria, outside of attending the annual Trials to win the right to compete for Team Nigeria at international competitions?

Sit tight, and watch out for these exclusive interviews throughout the week. We will update this post with the links to each interview as they are published!

 1. MARK JELKS Interview with the Nigerian Press immediately after winning the 100 metre Nigerian Title!

Mark 'Amuju' Jelks, 2014 Nigerian 100m Champion, recently switched allegiances from Team USA

Mark ‘Amuju’ Jelks, 2014 Nigerian 100m Champion, recently switched allegiances from Team USA

 

2. NICHOLE DENBY Exclusive Interview with MAKING OF CHAMPIONS, after winning the 100 metre hurdles Nigerian Title!

Nichole Denby, 2014 Nigerian 100m Hurdles Champion, recently switched allegiances from USA.

Nichole Denby, 2014 Nigerian 100m Hurdles Champion, recently switched allegiances from USA.

 

 3. TYRON AKINS Exclusive Interview with MAKING OF CHAMPIONS, after winning the 110 metre hurdles Nigerian Title!

Tyron 'Toritseju' Akins, 2014 Nigerian 110m Hurdles Champion, recently switched allegiances from Team USA

Tyron ‘Toritseju’ Akins, 2014 Nigerian 110m Hurdles Champion,
recently switched allegiances from Team USA

 

4. MONZAVOUS EDWARDS Exclusive Interview with MAKING OF CHAMPIONS, after finishing in 2nd place in the 100 metres at the 2014 Nigerian Trials!

Monzavous 'Jolomi' Edwards, recently switched allegiances from Team USA, and placed second in the 100 metres at the 2014 Nigerian Trials

Monzavous ‘Jolomi’ Edwards, recently switched allegiances from Team USA, and placed second in the 100 metres at the 2014 Nigerian Trials

And the last but not the least – this time a British Athlete, not an American!

5. ALEX AL-AMEEN Exclusive Interview with MAKING OF CHAMPIONS, after finishing in 2nd place in the 110m Hurdles at the 2014 Nigerian Trials! 

Alex Al-Ameen, recently switched allegiances from Team GB, and placed second in the 110m Hurdles at the 2014 Nigerian Trials (his father is Nigerian)

Alex Al-Ameen, recently switched allegiances from Team GB, and placed second in the 110m Hurdles at the 2014 Nigerian Trials (his father is Nigerian)

One former Nigerian Athlete who has made his feelings about the recruitment of US and UK athletes to Team Nigeria is Double Olympic Medallist Enefiok Udo-Obong, who did not mince words earlier this week on his blog where he expressed his strong feelings about Al-Ameen’s candidacy to represent Nigeria!

 

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