By John Egbokhan
Posted to the Web: Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Former Nigeria 100m champion, Seun Ogunkoka has revealed how family travails backtracked his athletics fortunes, informing that he lost three close siblings to the cold hands of death, at a time that he was grappling with injury.
“It hurts not being able to make it to Algeria but with all I have been through, battling with the deaths of three close family members and falling ill, with two weeks to the Mobil Trials, I was lucky to get this far.
“Being the one mainly responsible for the upkeep of members of my family, I expended a lot financially, materially and psychologically to deal with the tragedy which befell these close persons.
“It was not easy dealing with the demise of my family members and it really took the drive out of me because they were people who mattered to me”, said Ogunkoya, who however hopes to jumpstart his resurgence into national consciousness with some races in Europe.
“My manager is lining up competitions for me because I desire to return to the limelight. Athletics is all I do and I know I have potentials to be the best around”, said the sprinter.
Meanwhile, he has predicted that Fasuba, the reigning fastest man in Nigeria and Africa, weekend, will cruise to a gold medal win in Algiers.
Fasuba, weekend, justified his high rating with an effortless win in the 100m finals at the Mobil Track and Field Athletics Trials held inside the mainbowl of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.
It was the first victory for any Nigerian male sprinter in the 100m at the newly completed stadium, which witnessed a beehive of activities in the athletics fiesta that was watched by a sizable and supportive crowd.
Although not one of the eight finalists who were on the starting blocks on Saturday, Ogunkoya, who in the recent past, once started and ended the Mobil Trials 100m final race as champion, told Sports Vanguard in an interview backstage that latest rave of the moment, Fasuba possesses massive potentials to hit goldmine in the sprints.
“Ordinarily, Nigerian athletes are talented and about the best on the continent. One of the talented runners we have presently is without doubt Olusoji Fasuba, who in my estimation is the hottest cake in town in Africa.
“All things being equal, I see Fasuba winning the gold medal at the All Africa Games in Algiers and I say this based on the current strength of Fasuba, an athlete who I predict is going to get better and peak at the Games in Algeria," he said.
“That guy is destined for athletics greatness and it is only a matter of time and focus before he blossoms into fantastic runner”, said Ogunkoya, who painfully failed to make it into Nigeria’s100m team to the Algiers Games.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/sports/may07/23052007/sp323052007.html