The Nigerian wrestling
team attained a great feat in Algeria last week winning six Olympic slots –
four women and two men. What did it take to achieve that?
It took a long process of
preparations. This year, we started early. The President, Nigeria Wrestling
Federation, Dr. Daniel Igali, called us to camp in January. We trained in his
private gym in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. We spent time training; working on the
areas we were not good at; scouting our opponents; watching them in video clips
to identify their weak points. In summary, we started early and the result came
out good.
What was your experience
like at the qualifiers, which was held in Algiers?
It wasn’t easy in Algeria. We
faced tough opponents. Every athlete and every country wants to be at the
Olympics. It was tough but we were mentally tough too and we were ready for the
challenge. The early preparation we had really counted for us.
Apart from these six,
there is Odunayo Adekuruoye, who qualified for the Rio Olympics at the World
Championship. How was her own qualification?
I took Odunayo to Las Vegas for
the World Championship and she did very well and qualified for the Olympics. It
was the toughest Olympic qualifying route one can think of. Going to the World
Championship and getting a slot is not a mean feat.
From what you have seen
so far, can Nigerians realistically expect medals in wrestling at the Olympics?
For now, I wouldn’t want to say
anything about our chances of winning medals at the Olympics. The preparations
will determine the medals. We have just finished the qualifiers and we have
about three months to prepare for the Olympics. Within these three months, I
propose that we should have a couple of competitions where we can meet the top
five and top six wrestlers in the world in different categories. If you ask me
this question by July, I will be able to tell you because everything is
dependent on the kind of preparations we get. I hope we will have adequate
preparations. I hope the National Sports Commission will give us the support we
need to do well at the Olympics.
Nigerian women are doing
well in wrestling. As the national women’s coach, do you think this,in any way,
means that they are stronger than their counterparts from other African
countries?
Well partially, but I think it
is about preparations and their approach to the sports. But the men are also
good. If we continue like this we will dominate wrestling in Africa in both
women and men categories.
What is the current state
of wrestling in Nigeria compared to what it was some years ago?
I can clearly tell you that in
the past few years that we’ve had Dr. Daniel Igali as the president of our
federation, things have been improving. We have been going for international
competitions regularly; we have been having national championships; we have
been having seminars and good publicity. We are working on junior
championships. We have been having our camping at Igali’s private gym and
fitness centre. Camping there has helped us to work on areas we were not good
at and we have improved considerably. Wrestling in Nigeria has made great
progress recently. It is really becoming more and more popular. I think
government and the private sector should do more in terms of promoting
wrestling as an important sport in the country. They should support other
sports, not just football. To improve wrestling, I think it should be
introduced to sports competitions in primary and secondary schools. It will
also help if it is introduced to the Nigerian University Games and there are
Olympic centres, at least four of them, in different parts of the country where
wrestlers can go for training regularly. These centres can also be used to host
international competitions. These competitions will give our wrestlers the
exposure they need to be ready for major championships.
Did you actively compete
as a wrestler before becoming a coach?
I was a national champion in
Nigeria before I left for Germany. Later, I got a diploma in coaching to become
a wrestling coach. Wrestling has been a part of me and I have been a part of
wrestling.
When did you go into
wrestling?
I started wrestling in my
childhood. Then as a child I used to gather with my friends to wrestle one
another. It was fun then and I did well among my friends. We really enjoyed
wrestling but I didn’t know I was going to take it seriously as a sport.
So at what point did it
go from being fun to being a serious sport for you?
I think it was when I was in
school and I discovered that I could really make something out of it. I saw
that I could take part in international competitions and get the chance to travel
to different parts of the world. In the early days, when I started, I was
fascinated when I got to the national camp. I was really encouraged then. One
of the initial attractions for me was the fact that I could travel to other
countries and meet people from other parts of the world.
Does the fact that you
are a man coaching women wrestlers affect your performance?
Not really. In coaching, one
needs a lot of experience to do well. A coach has to know what his athletes
want and also have a good relationship with them. We learnt all that in our
coaching course. I have a good relationship with my wrestlers and everything is
working well.
Would you encourage your
daughter to do wrestling if she shows interest?
Interestingly, I have an eight
year-old daughter and all I keep telling her is that if she goes into
wrestling, she will be the best and honestly she will take my heart. I will
support her in whatever she wants to do. She has been on the wrestling mat but
she just goes there to play. But if she really wants to go into wrestling as a
career, I’m ready to take her to any level and she will win my heart.
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