By Yemi Olus,

Last weekend, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Classics was held in Ekiti State, a state that has produced brilliant sprinters like Oluyemi Kayode, a 4x100m Bronze medallist at the 1992 Olympics and the first Olympic medallist from the state.

In fact, the stadium that hosted the competition is named after him and located in Ado-Ekiti. Unfortunately, Kayode died in a car accident two years after his exploits in Barcelona.

Other notable sprinters from Ekiti include Nigeria and Africa’s fastest man ever, Olusoji Fasuba, as well as Damola Osayomi, a former Nigerian 100m champion and Silver medallist in the women’s 4x100m from the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Fasuba who is now based in the UK, attended the competition to lend his support to the athletes and I decided to make the most of the opportunity by getting his thoughts on current issues in Nigerian Track and Field.

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On mentoring younger athletes

I do enjoy mentoring a lot that’s why when I’m here I usually help in mentoring some kids to have the mindset to get to that level. We’ve got so much talent but it’s that mindset that is missing.

When I got to the stadium the other time I asked some kids what they do when they get to a stadium and they were like “I just come and warm up” and I said “You’ve got to understand what kind of track it is. In what direction is the wind blowing? Is it a headwind?”

These are the kinds of things I find out Nigerian athletes don’t know and I’m trying to instill it into them.

On the new crop of male sprinters in Nigeria

I’m happy that these guys are putting Nigeria back on the map because when I was doing it, I was doing it by myself then. The South Africans were coming up but once I decided to leave suddenly, bearing in mind that I was complaining that we were going to struggle, we actually struggled for about 12 to 13 years.

The athletes coming back gives me joy, that is why I came out of retirement, not to compete but to be vocal and tell the authorities not to make the same mistakes they made during my time. Support these athletes with as much as you can. They don’t want just words or handshakes; they need money to train.

And that’s why I’ve come out to re-echo what I said in 2008, that if you don’t give these athletes money, they will just stop as early as I did, and that’s going to be bad for the nation.

On whether he retired too early

I won’t really say it (retirement) was the best time for my career at that moment but family-wise it was for me because it positioned me for where I wanted to be and I’m quite happy with where I am now.

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I would have loved to serve the nation some more. There is a proverb that says see what you can do for your nation and not the other way round. I think I did a lot for my nation, but I didn’t get anything back. There were no guarantees in terms of a retirement plan. All the money I made was from outside.

My state and a few banks supported me, but the athletes I was competing with then, I knew how much they were getting; it was a hundred times more than what I was getting and their retirement had been sorted but mine hadn’t, and I was investing in the sport as well, so I had to make my own plan and I had to do it family-wise.

On the athlete(s) he’s tipping to break his Nigerian and African Record of 9.85sec

It’s a very hard one. Everyone is looking at the record but for me the record is not the main thing. Having a World Championships medal to your name is a big thing. Having an Olympic medal to your name is more of my focus.

I think if the guys can push to get a relay medal, that will really help. But when it comes to tipping who can break that record, it’s really tight because Raymond (Ekevwo) is doing a good job. Divine (Oduduru) is there; he needs a bit of finetuning but I can’t underestimate Itsekiri (Usheoritse) or even Enoch (Adegoke) as well so I will put my money on four of them.

I can’t put my money on only one. I sort of have the feeling that one of them is going to break it and then another one will retake it. That’s the way I feel it’s going to happen.

On what Nigeria can do to win a medal in the men’s 4x100m in Tokyo

For the relays, I think this is the time that Nigeria needs to get them into some sort of camp outside and let them start practicing. The British are already practicing; the Americans will be doing some sort of secret training already.

Why can’t we do that now? We need to start doing that. I know we’ve got the politics on hand but this is where I will use this medium to call them: if you know you really love the sport, come together and start building up what we’ve got now.

Get the team in place and get them ready because, with the crop of athletes we have, we can get an Olympic gold.

On South Africa breaking the African 4x100m Record previously set by Nigeria

Well, I felt happy and sad; happy in the sense that I can feel Africa is progressing as a continent but in terms of it going to South Africa, looking at the Nigerian team, we’ve got two 9sec runners and two potential 9sec runners, which means we can easily take that record back this year or next year.

On Nigerian medal hopefuls at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

We’ve got the long jumper Ese Brume; we’ve got the 100m hurdler Tobi Amusan; I’ve been following them and they are really medal hopefuls. Ese will get a better medal than she got the last time.

I’m not saying the Bronze is bad but Gold would be her aim in an Olympic year. She is capable of doing it, but they can’t do it alone. I will always be the person shouting these athletes need support and that will be the key.

If we want them to get it, start supporting them. I’m not saying give it to them a day or week to the Olympics; give it to them now so that they can know that their retirement plan is sorted out, and all they’re thinking about is the medal.

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