Although athletics may not be the most popular sport in the country, it sure has won more medals for the country than many other sports.
And for every legend in Nigerian athletics like Falilat Ogunkoya, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, Olusoji Fasuba, Chioma Ajunwa, and others, there will be others who will fail to be recognised as legends in a nation of over 170 million people.
Ahead of Nigeria’s 55th Independence anniversary on October 1, 2015, Naij.com Sports runs down the popular athletes who chose to dump Nigeria for other nations:
1. Francis Obikwelu (Portugal): Onitsha, Anambra state-born Francis Obikwelu was ranked the second fastest man in the world and the fastest man in Europe in 2004 and 2006.
At the age of 14, one of Obikwelu’s football coaches in Nigeria noticed him and suggested he try out athletics. After two years he was representing Nigeria in the 1994 African Junior Championships and won the silver medal in the 400 metres event.
Legendary runner Francis Obikwelu says he has no regrets of changing his nationality but still remains proudly Nigerian
He made a decision to run for Portugal in July 2000 after he was allegedly neglected by Nigerian sports officials when he was injured while representing Nigeria in Sydney, Australia.
Nigerian sprinter Mercy Nku, said of his decision: “He had to go to Canada to undergo an operation on his knee spending his own money.”
Thus, Obikwelu became a Portuguese citizen in October 2001.
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2. Femi and Tosin Ogunode (Qatar): Femi Ogunode became the fastest man in Asia on August 2015 after winning a gold medal at the recently concluded Asian Games. Ogunode ran a record time of 9.93 seconds despite the wet conditions in Incheon, South Korea.
Ogunode, who also won the 200 and 400 metres double at the 2010 games, beat China’s Su Bingtan and Japan’s Kei Takase to second and third places respectively.
Femi Ogunode
Hopes for an Asia-born athlete finally breaking the 10-second barrier sank with Su crossing in 10.10 and his Chinese team-mate Zhang Peimeng timing 10.18 in fourth.
Ogunode served a two-year ban lasting until January 2014 for violating the use of ‘Clenbuterol’, a prohibited substance. He was born in Ondo state.
In a similar fashion, his younger brother, Tosin, also runs for Qatar.
Tosin Ogunode made his debut at the start of the 2014 season and promptly set an Asian indoor record of 6.50 seconds for the 60 metres event at the Northern Arizona University indoor facility in the United States.
3. Abiodun Oyepitan (USA): Born in London, Britain, 35-year-old Oyepitan won the 100 m at the 2001 Summer Universiade and at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, she took a bronze medal with the 4 x 100 m team. She became one of Britain’s best female sprinters, becoming the first British female to reach an Olympic final in a sprint event since Kathy Cook.
Abiodun Oyepitan at the 2012 London Olympics
4. Margaret Adeoye (Britain): Like Oyepitan, Adeoye was born in Britain and she specializes in the women’s 100 and 200m events. She represented Britain in the 2012 Olympics and failed to make the final 200m list.
Margaret Adeoye
5. Anyika Onuora (Britain): 30-year-old Onuora is a British sprint track and field athlete who specialises in the 200 metres. She also competes in the 100 metres and 400 metres, as well as the 4×100 metres relay and 4×400 metres relay.
Born in Liverpool England, She won bronze at the 2015 World Championships in the 4 X 100m relay event, gold in in 4 X 100m relay in the 2014 European championship, silver in the 2006 European championships in 4 X 100m.
Anyika Onuora
In the Commonwealth she has a record of one silver in the 2006 games in the 4 x 100m relay and bronze in both the 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m.
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6. Morolake Akinosun (Britain): Daughter of Olawale and Foluke Akinosun, Morolake has two siblings, Moriyike and Anjola. She ran on the tracks at the University of Illinois before transferring to the University of Texas.
Akinosun at the NCAA Championships at the UI Track Facility on Tuesday June 11, 2013.
Born in Lagos Nigeria, Akinsoun specializes in the 100m, 200m and 400m races. She came second at the NCAA outdoor championships.
7. Omo Osaghae (USA): 27-year-old Texas born, Osaghae was born into a sporting family as his father played football in Nigeria. He specializes in the hurdles events and has personal records of 7.51 seconds for the 60-meter hurdles and 13.23 seconds for the 110-meter hurdles.
Omo Osaghe iis an American hurdling champion
He is a three-time winner of the 60-meter hurdles at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships and the 2014 World Indoor Champion.
8. Anthony Alozie (Australia): Born in Aba, Abia state, Alozie represents Australia. Alozie was in 2014 handed a 20-month suspension after going AWOL and for missing a drug test.
Anthony Alozie at the Australian Athletics Championships
The post #NigeriaAt55: Track And Field Athletes That Dumped Nigeria For Other Countries (Part One) appeared first on Nigeria News today & Breaking news | Read on NAIJ.COM.
