By Tunde Eludini
May 28, 2011 04:43PM
Failure they say is not falling down but not rising after falling. This perhaps explains the new found form of Nigerian sprint star, Damola Osayomi who only recently returned to active competition in spectacular fashion after serving out a six month ban for failing a drug test.
Many athletics faithful were shocked when the news of Osayomi’s positive testing to the banned stimulant, methylhexaneamine (which had only recently been added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list) was broken at the last Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India.
For them, the University of the Texas Business administration graduate who reports said only took a pain killing drugs for her aching tooth at the Delhi Games, was only a victim of circumstance as they attested to her high level of discipline on and off the tracks.
[b]In a manner justifying the confidence reposed in her, Osayomi has been in blistering form since returning; winning three successive races on her comeback and finishing as runner-up in latest of her races.
Headlining these performances was the feat at the “Grande Prêmio Internacional Caixa São Paulo”, an area permit meeting that is part of the 2011 Brazilian Athletics Tour last week. Osayomi, 24, stormed to a personal best time of 10.99 secs (+1.8) at the 725m elevation of São Paulo, becoming the fourth woman to run below 11 seconds in 2011 (American Carmelita Jeter is the world leader with
10.86).[/b]
She had earlier finished tops at both Bethlehem and Uberlandi before securing her third consecutive top spot on the podium and even went into the history of South American athletics, becoming the second woman to run below 11 seconds in the country area.
“I’m very happy, is the best time of my life. I was a little nervous, but I stayed focused the most. Yesterday I got to feel a little upset, but I thought I came here to race and I will not betray myself, and I’m doing this,” said Osayomi.
“For the next competition I want to get even stronger. When I finish here I will go home and continue training for the national trials,” she added.
Sweet return
Already savouring the return of Osayomi is renowned athletics coach Tobias Igwe, who went on to predict that the best is yet to be seen from Osayomi:
“I am very glad she is back and not just back she is doing very well,” Igwe said.
“I have worked with Osayomi a couple of times and I must tell you that she is a very hardworking athlete. She is very disciplined and level headed individual who listens to what her coaches tell her. I only hope her current coach will be able to manage her progress very well so she can peak at the right time and not burn out before the All African Games and the World Champuionships in South Korea” he concluded.
Also commenting on Osayomi’s return was Olympic gold medallist Chioma Ajunwa, who interestingly has treaded the same path of returning from a drug ban to later attain fame and success.
“Off course when you are banned you are expected to serve out the duration and then comeback, so am happy that she is back”
“I believe everything is about determination, when she was off the scene she would have been training hard; so what we are seeing now is the result of her hard work, which I hope she can sustain.” Ajunwa said.
Mobil meet
With just weeks away to the country’s national trials, the Mobil championships, many are already looking forward to the women’s 100m race that should pitch Blessing Okagabre against Osayomi.
Amongst those eagerly awaiting this race is coach Tony Osheku, who believes that the women’s 100m race at this year’s Nigeria/Mobil track and field championships scheduled for Calabar next month will be the most explosive in recent years, following the incredible 10.99 seconds run Osayomi last weekend in Brazil.
Osayomi’s new personal best run ensured she jumped above reigning queen, Blessing Okagbare in both the IAAF top list for the on-going season as well as in the Nigerian all-time performance list, thereby making the 22nd edition of the Mobil championships an avenue to determine who really the new queen of the track is.
“Damola has thrown the challenge at Blessing who has been the new queen of the track since 2009,” said Osheku who is one of Nigeria’s most successful track coaches. He continued:
“Interestingly, Blessing stopped Damola from making it a hat trick of 100m titles at the 2009 Mobil championships. Now Damola has a chance to also stop Blessing from winning her third back-to-back titles in the blue ribband event”.
“I know Blessing will be aiming for not only victory in Calabar come next month at the championships, she will also want to break 11 seconds in the 100m, which she came close to doing last year when she ran 11.00 seconds at the Crystal Palace meeting in England last August. I can’t wait for the explosive battle that we will all witness on the track of the U.J Esuene stadium next month,” Osheku further said.
While the expectation is that both athletes should be part of the country’s contingent to both the All African Games in Mozambique as well as the World championships in South Korea, rising up to the occasion when it really matters is what is yet to be seen from the two athletes.