Take nothing for granted Asafa and Justin, Olu Fasuba has hit the big time!
Tuesday 16 May 2006
In the wake of the Justin Gatlin’s World record in Doha, a 21-year-old Nigerian made one of the most sensational breakthroughs in world class sprinting of recent years.
A 10.09 performer in 2004 and 2005, Olusoji Adetokunbo Fasuba at last Friday’s IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting in Doha, Qatar improved to 9.92 in the heats and 9.84 in the final, a new African record and the sixth fastest time ever.
Pierre-Jean Vazel, the IAAF website’s French correspondent, and also the coaching advisor to this new sprint find, now gives us his insight into the life and career of Olu Fasuba…
Nigeria’s Olusoji Fasuba in Helsinki
(Getty Images)
Born with the right genes
Born on 9 July 1984 from a Yoruba Nigerian father, Olu Fasuba has a surprising athletics background. His Jamaican mother, Evelyn Quarrie, is first cousin of sprint legend 
Don Quarrie, 1976 Olympic 200m champion. Evelyn was a sprinter herself, who won some races in Kingston and even got a scholarship to train in the USA. But in those days, athletics was not seen as a serious career activity for women and so she gave up.
When Fasuba was a very young child and showed the first signs of his extraordinary talent, his parents encouraged him to continue. A brilliant pupil at school, he wanted to become a surgeon. But this goal did not divert him from his running. As a teenager, he won all the races from 100m to 800m at the local University Games, as well as the Long Jump, High Jump, and even took medals at the Shot Put and Javelin Throw.
In 2002, Kingston hosted the World Junior Championships, and Fasuba, 17-years-old, placed himself as a contender after having run 10.52 in April, but had to renounce his team place and his visit to his mother’s island due to health problems.
Obikwelu, a sprinting role model
Yet only a year later, such was his blossoming talent he was selected for the senior Nigerian 4x100m relay team for the Paris World Championships which placed fourth, and a month later won the individual 100m at the Afro-Asian Games in a surprising 10.15.
This performance was more than enough to get the 1.76m and 76kg sprinter invites for the 2004 indoor circuit.
He made a wonderful start at 60m with a best time of 6.50 in Chemnitz before getting injured in Liévin the very next day. This ruined his chances at the World Indoor Championships where he could only jog the heats.
After a chaotic outdoor European tour, he made the relay team again for the Olympic Games and took the bronze medal.
He then decided to no longer train by himself with his girlfriend Ngozi Nwokocha (a young 400m runner - 52.50), and to take a coach.
Based in Germany, still not lifting weights at training, he nevertheless managed to run an impressive 6.51 indoors in 2005 at his favourite track in Chemnitz, despite falling down at the start.
In the summer at the Helsinki World Championships in August, lacking experience, Fasuba just missed the 100m final by one place.
His first full season gave him the opportunity to compete against his sprinting role model Francis Obikwelu, Portugal’s Olympic silver medallist who was formerly Nigerian.
2006 sensational breakthrough
Fasuba resumed training in October and started a very easy weight lifting plan (once or twice a week only) as well as the usual sprints, jumps and throws which compose his preparation.
In December 2005, he was already running at a World record pace in practice. Unfortunately, travel and visa problems made him miss several workouts and European meetings, to the point that he arrived in Moscow for the World Indoor Championships exhausted and short of competitions. Yet he still reached his first ever individual global final, and took 5th at 60m.
A week later, the flying Nigerian was in Australia for the Commonwealth Games, a competition double which few sprinters tried.
Arriving in Melbourne four days before the 100m, Fasuba overcame jet lag and impressed in the final as he led the then World record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica for half of the race. Powell won in 10.03, Fasuba taking silver in 10.11, an ideal podium for one interested and famous observer, Don Quarrie.
Torn Hamstring
Back to Nigeria, the new medallist’s preparations for the European summer have been rather chaotic.
A lot of travelling which has put pressure on his training schedule resulted in a tear to his hamstring in his left thigh.
Despite the injury Fasuba decided to honour his commitment to Nigeria’s premier meeting in Abuja (an African Area Permit) meeting on 6 May but ran only 60m of the 100m, jogging the last 40m in order to preserve his hamstring. In spite of this, he ran 10.26 and placed 3rd, which amazed observers.
Abuja was the last stop before Doha, where a race with Justin Gatlin was keenly awaited.
Fasuba surprised Gatlin in the heats with a great start leading to a national record of 9.92, which forced the Olympic and World 100m champion to run 9.85.
The final was run in an ideal temperature and wind, Fasuba was timed by the meeting organisers in 6.35 at 60m (6.38 for Galtin) but couldn’t resist the American’s scorching finish.
IAAF Golden League start in Oslo
The new African record holder will next compete in the IAAF World Athletics Tour meets in Hengelo (28 May) and in Oslo, the first leg of IAAF Golden League (2 June).
He of course hopes to establish himself now on the circuit and in history as a top sprinter but above all, after his illness in 2002, hopes not to miss the next opportunity to compete in his mother’s home, Jamaica, when the occasion arises.
Pierre-Jean Vazel for the IAAF
