Fasuba v Emedolu

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:slight_smile: Fasuba, Emedolu, Others Battle for Sprint Title
From Duro Ikhazuagbe, in Ijebu-Ode, 04.12.2006

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The battle for the fastest man of the ongoing 15th National Sports Festival, the Gateway Games shifts to the ultra modern tracks of the Ijebu Ode Stadium this morning as Commonwealth Games silver medalist Olusoji Fasuba, IAAF World Cup champion Uchenna Emedolu and the 2006 Mobil Athletics Championship bronze medalist Chinedu Oriala all gun for the prized gold medal.

But the real battle is going to be a two-way affair between Fasuba and Emedolu. For athletics aficionados, the rivalry between the duo has become an interesting matter given the :wink: new found form of Fasuba, a situation that has now relegated Uchenna to second best.

The rivalry hit a crescendo at the last Commonwealth Games trials in Abuja last February when Fasuba shocked both Uchenna and Deji Aliu to win the sprint title.

The former Obafemi Awolowo graduate even went ahead at the Commonwealt Games in Melbourne, Australia to :slight_smile: salvage Nigeria’s image in the track to win a prized silver behind Jamaican world champion Asafa Powell.

In that final, Uchenna failed to reach the medals podium as he finished a dismal fifth while Deji came in seventh.

It is against this background that today’s semi-final and final races promise to be full of tension and excitement as both top runners would want to assert their authority in the 100m.

However, given the type of motivation that the James
Ibori-led administration in Delta has placed before the state contingent to this Gateway Games, it is doubtful if Fasuba would want to throw away a mouth-watering promise of a million Naira if he makes good his promise to give the Big Heart state the three gold medals in 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay.

In the women’s version, former All Africa Games champion, Mercy Nku also qualified for the 100m semi final along with Gloria Kemasuode.

While Nku would want to win the gold for Akwa Ibom, Kemasuode would be desperate to return to reckoning for Delta after :eek: immigration problems prevented her from going to Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games.

She won the Mobil Championship in Abuja last February even with the presence of both Nku and Endurance Ojokolo.

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Really funny, but i’m not aware Fasuba is running :smiley:
My God, when will the NGR journalist start to work…

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Fasuba explains absence from championship
By Ademola Adebayo
NIGERIA’s current fastest man, Olusoji Fasuba, has revealed that he opted out of the on-going National Sports Festival for medical reasons.

Fasuba told The Guardian yesterday that he was advised by his doctor to relax his muscles in order to remain fat for other major events in the athletics circuit, adding that his manager also told him to get some rest after the hassles of the Commonwealth Games.

“I was hinted by my state, Delta, to run at the festival but due to the instruction from my doctor and manager, I had to stay back and watch the event on the television,” Fasuba said.

He revealed that he might not attend the forthcoming International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) in Abuja on May 5, due to other personal commitments.

“I am not underrating the coming meet in Abuja but since my manager has personally registered me for another one abroad, I have to obey him,” Fasuba said.

Fasuba also commended the success of Uchenna Emedolu for wining the 100 meters finals at the ongoing Games in Ogun State.

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:eek: FAT? Gee I thought he looked pretty Fit! :stuck_out_tongue:

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Delta May Sanction Fasuba
04.14.2006

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After pulling out of the 100m event of the on going Gateway Games, Commonwealth Games silver medalist, Olusoji Fasuba faces possible sanctions.
Fasuba did not run in the finals of the sprint event as he claimed that the injury he copped running for Nigeria at the Melbourne Games last month was yet to properly heal
As a result, his much advertised due with Uchenna Emedolu had to be put on hold till another meeting.
But Delta Sports Commissioner, Chief Solomon Ogba is not taking Fasuba’s behaviour with kids’ gloves.
“How can Fasuba claim not to be fit to run for Delta State that pays his salary and also picks his sundry bills?” fumed Chief Ogba yesterday.
The Sports Commissioner told THISDAYSports that the behaviour of the Nigerian champion was least expected, given the determination of the state to do well here at the Gateway Games.
“May be he has secured another job elsewhere otherwise I don’t know how he can behave like that. Anyway, I won’t say much till after the festival. This is certainly not a way to be a role model to up coming athletes who are aspiring to attain his heights in athletics," he noted
Fasuba was expected to run the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay to make Delta’s gold medals hunt in those events a sure banker.

COMMENTS [total: 4]
Discussing an athlete’s performance on the pages of a national newspaper does not spaek well for the Delta state sports commi…
The likes of fasugba should be made to concentrate more on the international scene,not a glorified inter house sport that is t…
Dear Mr. Commissioner, please take it easy and understand the young man as you may find out afterwards that he is not faking. …
Dear Sports Commissioner Ogba, i sympathise with you. The boy obviously chickened out because he was afraid of losing to Emedo…

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Delta May Sanction Fasuba
04.14.2006

COMMENTS
Olukayode Akingbogun
04.15.2006 13:29
Discussing an athlete’s performance on the pages of a national newspaper does not spaek well for the Delta state sports commissioner. This is an issue that is best dealt with indoors, away from the public. This approach can only lead to hostilities between Fasuba and the sports ministry. Yes, the sports ministry may employ Fasuba, but will it not pay them better if he sorts out his injury problems in the short term so that he can bperform his duties better in the future. If Fasuba is injured as claimed, then he has displayed a high professional awareness of the impact of injury in the short life of a sportman. This same ministry will not provide any meaningful rehabilitation for Fasuba if his career ends prmaturely through injury.

orode oyiki
04.15.2006 07:38
The likes of fasugba should be made to concentrate more on the international scene,not a glorified inter house sport that is the NSF.It,s really shameful on the part of our so called superstars to agree for peanuts to dorn the colours of any state in this NSF.I wasn,t allowed to take part in any NSF after winning the gold for the then Bendel state in Lagos 1989.I was already discovered the argument went;and owing to the fact that i took part in more than two international competitions for the country.Why this volte-face?My humble submission is that it is why the country is where it today-marking time and taking backward steps.I wish the Ogbas of this world goodluck.

ibikunle oluwole emmanuel
04.14.2006 19:55
Dear Mr. Commissioner, please take it easy and understand the young man as you may find out afterwards that he is not faking. Mind you, if he contested in the games and agravate the injury and maybe end his career prematuredly, be sincere, where will you be? Oga sir, take it easy. Dont allow your interest to overshadow his health and future.

Michael
04.14.2006 19:11
Dear Sports Commissioner Ogba, i sympathise with you. The boy obviously chickened out because he was afraid of losing to Emedolu. Whatever sanction is applied has my full support.

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:eek: Delta State that pays his salary and also picks his sundry bills :eek:

Sanctions, well let’s see what less they can do for Fasuba…

The nightmare continues…

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THOUGHT you’d appreciate the latest offering :rolleyes: Me-thinks it is one embarrassed newspaper trying to save face by going on the attack after it previewed the great showdown without asking either of the “Showdownees” whether they were actually competing !

I hate to say this but . . . The sooner Olu dumps Nigeria and finds a country that supports him and his career the better off he will be. Obviously the powers in Nigerian sports administration and media are so far off the pace they’re being lapped!

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If he wants to come to the UK, i can arrange it!

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Let’s start the ebay bids then :smiley: :smiley:

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Since all the other members of the Nigerian 4x100 seem to be moving to Australia, a :wink: fair trade obviously would be that Shirvo switches to Nigeria and Olu joins his buddies DownUnder.

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Stop trying to steal the tallent. You have nice weather you don’t need any more help!

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Shirvo for Olu and PJ moves to the South Pacific (New Caledonie, Tahiti?) to set up a training camp nearby. That’s my best offer.

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Fasuba threatens to dump Nigeria

April 16, 2006, 1 hour, 14 minutes and 7 seconds ago.

By Andnetwork .com

Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games 100m silver medallist, Olusoji Fasuba, on Friday threw Nigerian athletics into a foul mood, announcing that he is contemplating dumping Nigeria to race for an unnamed country.

In a BBC interview, Fasuba, one of the latest sprinting talents in Nigeria, said he might make change his nationality if he had an approach from “a good country.”

Fasuba, the national champion, based his consideration on the fact that Nigerian athletes were poorly treated.

“The situation in the country does not favour athletes to prepare well for competitions,” Fasuba, who won the 2006 championship in 10.13secs in Abuja, said. “There is no training grant for us to train overseas, and when it comes, it is very small.”

Fasuba, who won the silver medal in Australia behind world record holder Asafa Powell in a time of 10.11secs, blamed the federal Sports Ministry and the athletics authorities for the poor welfare of Nigerian athletes.

The 21-year-old sprinter said there were better opportunities for athletes to excel outside the shores of Nigeria and “this will always fascinate Nigerian athletes who see what is happening elsewhere.”

Fasuba, who has a personal best of 10.09secs from a Nairobi race in May 2005, also blamed corporate organisations for their lukewarm response to the sponsorship of Nigerian athletes.

“You don’t see the big private companies sponsor Nigerian athletes like is done in other parts of the world,” Fasuba said. “The private companies are not helping sports at all in Nigeria.”

Sunday Bada, the technical director of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, expressed surprise at the turn of events on Saturday.

Bada said: “Fasuba is right about the poor welfare of Nigerian athletes. We all know that Nigeria doesn’t treat its athletes well.

“But I have not heard him saying that he will dump the country. That will be a real surprise.”

In the recent past, Francis Obikwelu and Gloria Alozie defected to Portugal and Spain respectively.

Obikwelu later went on to win a silver medal for Portugal in the men’s 100m in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games in Greece.

Only on Saturday, former World Cup winner, :eek: Uchenna Emedolu, denied Australian newspaper reports that he was set to change his nationality to that of Australia (see Saturday Punch, April 15, 2006).

Emedolu, 29, had been named along with Esther Aghatise, Mabel Madojeme and Uzodinma Alozie as making moves to become Australian nationals.

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Wow! The situation is getting ugly! :smiley:
Seriously, the sooner this is resolved, as KitKat says, the better!
The choice is his, of those around him and of his coach, of course!
Good luck to any decision taken! :slight_smile:

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I see now why Nigeria lost great athletes like Obikwelu to other nations…

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I wonder how things will pan out for Olu now in NIgeria?

There would be a lot of resentment towards him I assume and receiving any support in future (owed or otherwise) will be even more difficult.

Yet at this stage perhaps he does not have another passport and transferring allegiance means a period on the sidelines out of international competition.

It could be very hard for Olu. He will need support and understanding.

Was it brave or naive of him to publically raise the prospect of quitting his homeland?

It will certainly trigger a debate in Nigeria about the competence of support for their elite athletes and the value these ambassadors bring the nation through their efforts in sport.

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Olu hasn’t received personnally any sanctions threats nor has talk to BBC since quarter-final in Melbourne, and it wasn’t about switching countries. A lot of rumours, but Nigerian athletes are used to bullshit newspapers and don’t read it.

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FOUND THIS PROFILE OF NIGERIAN FRANCIS OBIKWELU. IT SAYS HE PAID HIS OWN WAY TO :confused: CANADA FOR KNEE SURGERY AFTER WINNING THE WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP SPRINT DOUBLE. WONDER WHY CANADA? WONDER IF CANADIAN OFFICIALS TRIED TO PERSUADE HIM TO RUN FOR CANADA, RATHER THAN HIS SUBSEQUENT CHOICE OF PORTUGAL? kk

Francis Obikwelu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Silver 2004 Men’s 100 m
Francis Obirah Obikwelu, born November 22, 1978 in Nigeria and Portuguese citizen since 2001, is a sprint athlete specializing in 100 m and 200 m, who finished second in the 100 m at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, the first medal ever in athletics sprinting events for Portugal.

Contents [hide]
1 From Nigeria to Portugal
2 Athens 2004
3 Awards and honours
3.1 Olympic Games
3.2 World Championships
3.3 World Indoor Championships
3.4 Golden League
3.5 Grand Prix
3.6 Grand Prix Final
3.7 Super Grand Prix

[edit]
From Nigeria to Portugal
He based himself in Lisbon, Portugal as a 16-year-old, after competing at the 1994 World Junior Championships. After being rejected by both SL Benfica and Sporting Lisbon, he worked for a while as a construction worker in Algarve. He decided to learn Portuguese, and his teacher put him in contact with Belenenses, where he restarted practicing.

He then made a decision to run for Portugal. The news was broken in July 2000 by Nigerian sprinter Mercy Nku, who like Obikwelu is based in Lisbon. She said Obikwelu took the decision because of neglect by Nigerian sports officials when he was injured while representing Nigeria in Sydney. “He had to go to Canada to undergo an operation on his knee spending his own money.” He became a Portuguese citizen in October 2001.

Both his athletics achievements, his life story and his personality made him a popular figure in his adoptive country, where is nicknamed Chico, the short form of the Portuguese version of his first name.

He currently competes for Sporting Lisbon.

[edit]
Athens 2004
Image:100 m final athens04.jpg
100 m final
In the qualifiers he was one of the most impressive runners, managing two times under 10 seconds (beating the Portuguese record). In the final he recovered from a non-medal position in the second half of the race to reach Silver, just one hundredth of a second behind Justin Gatlin and one hundredth ahead of Maurice Greene, managing to beat the European record set by Linford Christie in 1993.

He ended 5th in the 200 m final.

[edit]
Awards and honours
[edit]
Olympic Games
2nd 100 m, Athens, GRE 9.86
[edit]
World Championships
2nd 4 x 100 m Relay 1997 Athens, GRE 38.07
3rd 200 m 1999 Seville, ESP 20.11
[edit]
World Indoor Championships
3rd 200 m 1997 Paris, FRA 21.10
6th 60 m 2004 Budapest, HUN 6.60
[edit]
Golden League
1st 100 m 2004 Saint-Denis, FRA 10.06
1st 200 m 2004 Saint-Denis, FRA 20.12
1st 100 m 2001 Berlin, GER 9.98
2nd 100 m 2002 Brussels, BEL 10.01
3rd 200 m 2004 Zurich, SUI 20.36
3rd 200 m 2004 Bergen, NOR 20.46
3rd 200 m 2002 Brussels, BEL 20.22
3rd 100 m 2000 Rome, ITA 10.00
[edit]
Grand Prix
1st 100 m 2002 Lausanne, SUI 10.09
3rd 200 m 2001 Athens, GRE 20.59
3rd 200 m 2001 Nice, FRA 20.41
[edit]
Grand Prix Final
3rd 200 m 2001 Melbourne, AUS 20.52
5th 100 m 2002 Saint-Denis, FRA 10.03
[edit]
Super Grand Prix
1st 200 m 2004 Madrid, ESP 20.29
2nd 100 m 2004 Lausanne, SUI 10.02
2nd 200 m 2003 Madrid, ESP 20.59
Moreover, Obikwelu was the 1996 world junior champion over 100 m and 200 m.

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Obikwelu”

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Wednesday April 19, 2006

THE SUN NEWSPAPER IN NIGERIA

Emedolu wins 200m, as Nku flops
By PAUL EREWUBA and CHIMAOBI UCHENDU
Tuesday April 18, 2006

• Emedolu
More Stories on This Section
Uchenna Emedolu, yesterday (Monday) at the Gateway International stadium, Ijebu Ode, proved again that he is king of African tracks, beating his arch rival, Enefiok Udobong in the 200m men.

Emedolu won gold for Abia by winning the race with a time of 20.97seconds, while Enefiok Udobong finished the race with a time of 21.01 seconds. Ahmed Akintola finished third with a time of 21.35seconds.

In the 200metres women, Mercy Nku, who won the 100m last week, was beaten to the second position by Germany-based Christy Ekponkhom. Nkozi Nwocha came third.
Meanwhile, in the 4x100m women, Delta, Edo, Ogun came first, second third respectively.

In the 4x100m men, Ogun, Delta and Sokoto won in that order.
Meanwhile, Ondo State has rejected the events that was not reckoned with before the start of National Sports Festival to become the medal winning zone for the State. Officials of Ondo State Sports Council felt that Abula, chess, scrabble, ayo and golf should not participate in the Games because they cannot win any medal.

But as the Games progressed, these sports won medals for the State and there is every indication that Ondo State would pay attention to the sports in future competition.

Abula won gold in the mixed doubles, Ayo gave the state two gold, Golf won silver and one bronze, Scrabble got one gold and one bronze, while the State is doing very well in Chess.
Scrabble coach of the state contingent, Akintunde Akinsemola noted that the rejected stone has finally turned to be the cornerstone.

“Nobody gave us a chance to win even a bronze. But we have proved that given a conducive atmosphere, these sports can actually win more laurels for the State.
“They said we cannot win any medal and that it would be a waste of money of they bring us to Abeokuta.

“But we braced up to the challenge and we are grateful to the Ondo State Deputy Governor, Chief Olateru who insisted that we should come.

“We came and conquered and that should start the revolution in all these sports,”Akinsemola intoned.