By Yemi Olus

Last Saturday, a Nigerian athlete got the attention of the whole world! Divine Oduduru was arguably the best track performer of the weekend when he won two Gold medals at the Big 12 Championships held in Lubbock, Texas.

DIVINE GOLD – Oduduru Divine of Nigeria celebrating after winning the 200m boys final in a time of 21.56sec. Photo: Henry Unini

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He first dominated the men’s 60m with a lifetime best of 6.52sec, just 0.04sec off Deji Aliu’s National Record, and then an hour later, the big one came. Oduduru totally outclassed his rivals to win the 200m with the fastest time in the world this year: a National Indoor Record, School Record and Personal Best (PB) of 20.08sec.

The mark set by Oduduru last weekend is the third fastest ever in the history of the 200m (Indoors). Only former World Champion, Namibia’s Frankie Fredericks (who owns the Indoor World Record of 19.92sec) and USA’s Elijah Hall-Thompson (20.02sec) have recorded faster times. His time is also the second fastest in the history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The Delta State indigene was also named the Top Scorer at the competition, having amassed a whopping 20 points for his school (10 points for each win). What a superlative performance from the talented sprinter!

At this rate, he looks likely to become only the second Nigerian to run a sub-20sec in the men’s 200m, following in the footsteps of Francis Obikwelu who owns the Nigerian Record (Outdoors) with a time of 19.84sec set 20 years ago.

Personally, I believe this is the best time for Oduduru to take advantage of his current form and make some money while pursuing his academics since there are no guarantees in life. He is presently in his third year at Texas Tech, so it will not be out of place to go professional while forfeiting his eligibility to compete for his school.

His impressive performance last year when he won the NCAA 200m title, and then his dazzling displays this year, would have certainly put him on the radar of some of the top athlete management agencies and sportswear manufacturing companies. Of course going professional would demand extreme discipline in terms of creating a balance between his education and his professional career, but it can be done.

Fellow Nigerian athlete Tobi Amusan is doing just that, having signed a professional contract with Adidas after winning the women’s 100m Hurdles during the NCAA Championships in 2017. She is currently in her final year at University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) yet runs in some of the most prestigious meets in the world.

She is set to become a familiar figure when the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Diamond League resumes in May in Doha. The Diamond League is held annually and is the biggest Athletics series which covers 14 meetings across cities around the world including Paris, Rome, Rabat, Oregon, Oslo, London, Brussels and Zurich.

Going professional presents Oduduru with the opportunity of competing against the best athletes in the world, and considering that the 2019 IAAF World Championships will be holding in Doha between September and October, this will serve as the perfect build up for him. Also, it would become a normal phenomenon for him to rub shoulders with the best of the best, so there would be no need to feel intimidated when faced with the big names.

It must be said though that Oduduru has always displayed a lot of confidence even in international outings. At the 2015 All-African Games in Congo Brazzaville, I interviewed Oduduru just before his 200m final. I recall his emphatic response when I asked him if he saw himself beating Cote d’Ivoire’s Hua Wilfried Koffi who was the favourite at the time:

“I don’t care even if Usain Bolt is in the race. It’s not our business; all we are here to do is to run. When the race kicks off and the gun goes, whoever gets to the finishing line first wins the race”, he said.

Koffi did win and Oduduru finished 2nd, while another Nigerian Tega Odele placed 3rd. However, a year later, Oduduru was drawn in the same heat as the multiple World Record holder and the fastest man ever, Usain Bolt in the 200m at the Olympic Games in Rio, and he ran the race of his life to finish 2nd to the Jamaican sensation who seemed quite impressed with the Nigerian’s performance that he gave him a hug afterwards.

Oduduru’s talent plus confidence will surely take him places. I believe it is now time to step out and show the world the stuff he’s made of.