Track And Field Athletes

"I will say that sports has been or was in my DNA. I started from my primary school days. But I got noticed while I was running for my secondary school during the school inter-house sports competition at Obieziama Secondary School in Imo State. One of the athletics coaches at the then Imo State Sports Council, Chief Leo Ozurumba, just came to me after my race. He said to me, ‘you will run for Imo State and for Nigeria. You have the talent and determination.’ He later took me to the Sports Council and that was when it all started. I was about 12 years then."

"I lost to Charity by the narrowest of margins in Oslo (50.13 to 50.15) and thought I was getting back to shape but when she scorched to a new 49.29 seconds personal best at the Golden Gala in Rome, I was scared my African record would be gone that year if I didn’t get into shape. I was third in that race that night in 49.89 seconds. It was my first run inside 50 seconds that year but Charity’s performance got me really worried. She was 3-0 up at this stage but my worry and that of my coach, Tony Osheku was that we could lose the African record of 49.10 seconds that got me a bronze medal at the Olympics in 1996. My coach even said if she breaks the record,we would go back to our base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA to train harder. It was that scary"

"We made the whole world to focus on just the two of us in the women’s 400m. Charity was in great form and had a 5-0 lead in our first five meetings together. I remember she ran an altitudes aided 49.87 in Johannesburg and I came a distant second in 50.27."

"I am happy with the return of the National Sports Festival, after an absence of six years, because this is is an avenue from where we can spot future talents."

"Hard work. Every training session was like my last on earth. There was the target of breaking and setting records before you. The coaches will remind you of getting your personal best time. At times, I even trained with the guys. This propels you to train daily as if your life depends on it. But truly, our lives then depended on athletics. So my strength was diligence. But I must add that once I remembered that I was running for Nigeria, it also drew inner strength for me."

"Fashion is your way of life. It is your statement. It is the way you feel like expressing yourself in all ramifications of life. For me, fashion is not just about dressing or makeup or jewelleries. It is about the way you speak, the way you carry yourself in public and the way you comport yourself among others. I don’t wear heavy makeup nor go crazy about clothes. I try to be as simple as possible. I also love to be very smart in appearance, may be because of my background as a former athlete."

"Apart from Ogunkoya, only two other Nigerians have been able to go under 50s: Charity Opara & Fatima Yusuf who are members of this exclusive club. In 1998, Opara ran a PB of 49.29s in Rome, while Yusuf ran a PB of 49.43s to win the African Games title in Harare in 1995!"

"I want to make young girls believe that all things are possible. You know they can do exactly or even better than what I'm doing right now. I'm not any super girl from one unique place. No, I'm a local girl from Ughelli. So if this local girl can do it, can come this far from nothing to become something, then you also can do it."

"What I am bringing on board is facilities others don’t have in their sport parks and I want to use them to groom potential athletes and give them encouragement. It is my desire to move them to the next level. We are starting this project because we need expansion for more activities, we now have the indoor sports arena, basketball, badminton , graded tracks surface area, football field, we have the gymnasium; it’s a one stop shop for sports activities."

"To tell you the truth, as a former Athlete, I am impressed by this initiative (Abuja Youth Games). This is really very noble. This is what the Ministry of Youth and Sports should encourage because this is the only way we can go back to the grass root to discover future Athletes that can represent the Nation in the future."

"ESE BRUME HAS WON A GOLD MEDAL! It was never in doubt, but Brume after coming under an early pressure, pulled up TWO Games Records, jumping 700 to reclaim her #CommonwealthGames crown. If there's ever an athlete who always delivers for Naija (Nigeria), it is Ese Brume."

"I proudly congratulate the duo of Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume, both winning at the Diamond League held in Eugene, Oregon, United States of America. Oluwatobiloba Amusan for winning the 100m Women’s Hurdles in a time of 12.33 to reclaim her Diamond League title while Nigerian long jumper, Ese Brume for her silver medal achievement in the long jump event at the Diamond League. The duo of Tobi and Brume represents strength, mental toughness, and the Nigerian spirit....From the Olympics to the Commonwealth Games to the Diamond Leagues, Ese has consistently ranked among the top athletes in her sport globally. I join millions of Nigerians globally to felicitate with both Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume on their deserved wins at the Diamond League. Both victories are those that will restore their confidence after the difficult ordeal both passed through this year....Brume came close to winning her first Diamond League title after leaping 6.85m, just as Ivana Vuketa, who won gold, I am mostly proud of her for finishing strong, despite missing out on first place by very small margins. I urge Tobi, Brume, and other Nigerian athletes to reflect on this season, applaud themselves for their hard work, and look towards the Paris 2024 Olympic Games."

"Ese Brume has continued to make us proud time and again. From the Olympics to the Commonwealth Games to the Diamond Leagues, Ese has consistently ranked amongst the top athletes in her sports, globally, While it is disappointing that she narrowly missed out on the Diamond League title, I want to state that the country remains proud of her achievements. I am sure that she will bounce back and take her rightful place. I urge her and other athletes likewise to stay focused on the bigger picture as we draw closer to the 2024 Olympic Games."

"I was talking to her (Brume) about education, and I asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. She talked about beauty pageants, they had a beauty pageant in a church that week, and she was going to be part of it. I told her that, you know, you can be in beauty pageants in many things in life. So I encouraged her to go to school, and I encouraged her to step in training."

"My dream is to become the world’s best so I know that for the World Championships, I will be on the medals table because I should be doing much better before then. If not the GOLD, I will be on the medals table."

"I told myself that I had to tell the federation and everyone that it was about my run up. I wanted to prove everyone wrong, because everyone was like ‘What was wrong with me?’ I was the world leader and all of a sudden I came last. I had to turn to God and put Him first and He did it."

"I know this will be an inspiration for them (young girls). Of course, when you see someone you look up to doing well, you want to definitely be like them. So this is going to motivate and inspire them. I hope it works."

"Pressure is coming in from different places, from Nigeria, from my team, from Africa as a whole. I try as much as possible not to let that overwhelm me, take it one step at a time, not to rush. I try not to panic at any point in time and I do not see anyone as a rival. It's something that has helped me, and it has really brought me this far. And then the only thing to do is to surpass my personal best. I try to beat myself."

"Tobi Amusan is my best friend, everybody knows. It was amazing for us because this is what we are trained for. She deserves it so much. Last championships, we just got one medal. Now we are getting out with two medals. It is a wonderful night for Nigeria, for all of us."

"It's a huge achievement for me and my coach. It was a surprise for us at first and, you know, it was something that we didn't expect to happen at that moment. It just happened. And we're still trying to recover from it. And hopefully...I'm able to back this distance, and hopefully, it should get me a medal."

"To win a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2019 gave me a lot of confidence that, 'OK, so I can actually compete with the top athletes in the world. I could actually do better still because that wasn't my best, you know, so it made me believe that I could get better. And so far, I have been working with that mindset, and it's helping me, and I can see a lot of improvement."

"The Rio Olympics taught me that you should never look down on yourself and stick to what you believe in. I told myself if I'm able to make it to the final with one leg, I should be able to make the podium on two legs."

"This is one thing I really wanted, to get the Games record. This is special for me because it shows consistency. It shows the hard work of all those that have supported me and my coach, who has been backing me up. Sometimes it's about how you're able to show that what you're doing is not a fluke."

"It has been a great season for me right from April when I was injured but I never settled for less no matter the challenges. I keep on pushing and my coach keeps telling me that Ese you can do it. It is not all about the training but the faith I have in God."

"I’m excited and grateful to God. I’m super happy that I was able to make the top three. I’ll say I’m not the best athlete but I’m grateful to God for bringing me this far. I can’t contain my joy no matter the colour of the medal."

"It is a pity what is happening to Gloria. If she had known that things will turn out be bad for her...she could just remained in Australia. When her mates over there heard of her condition they were sad. Gloria rejected offers for her to represent Australia and returned to Nigeria. There were too many frustrations and coupled with the death of her father things took a turn for the worst. I’m glad that the AFN is doing something to aid her. It shouldn’t be another PR stunt, but a concrete step towards rehabilitating her. If this is the only thing the AFN can do this year it would mostly gladden my heart."

"We are overjoyed that she is responding to treatment and getting better. We spoke with her for several minutes, and we are happy that she has started talking about her future already. But, she needs total rehabilitation. The family is most grateful to Athletics Federation of Nigeria, the Bayelsa State government and the individuals that played this big role"

"She (Gloria) is responding to treatment and I’m hopeful she will be okay. When she is done with treatment, she needs to be constantly in the environment of track and field so that she doesn’t relapse again. I will sure be glad to see Gloria back into her former happy and joyous self, she is such a sweet and loving woman."

"I am strong,I am powerful. I am explosive."

"You can really do it all, You can have it all."

"We’re capable enough to have a seat at the table. And to do great things."

"experience in track and field will also help me to drive home a point to young athletes because I have gone through it already."

"Most people don’t see this part, but there were days when I was throwing up, there were days when I couldn’t walk after a session, days when I felt like quitting and there were days when I’d say why am I doing this, I don’t want to do this anymore! But nobody sees that part, so when you make a final and you’re like wow…at least before the gun goes off, I can say I am number 8 or top 8 in the World! That to me, if you think of how many people are in this World, is fantastic, it’s awesome!"

"not because they are not physically ready, but because they are not mentally prepared."

"the focus is always on the training, the physical part of it, and the mental aspect of it is (being) ignored."

"Debbie Ferguson – McKenzie – Interview Female Coaching Network, 7 July 2015 by @fasterfergie16"

"I don’t know about any secrets, but I think if I could put it in a nutshell; I’m an athlete of routine, routine of being disciplined, hard working and dedicated. Doing the small things that most athletes don’t want to do, tapering down, ice baths, all kinds of stuff; If coach says do 6, don’t try to do 4! Your goal is to do 8. Those are things that made me a better athlete. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I try to take care of my body, rest etc."

"It is an athlete’s greatest accomplishment to be at the Olympics and in an Olympic final, so that’s what athletes have to learn to thrive on. Just like when you train your body physically, you have to train your mind mentally to harness that positivity from everything that is going on around you and put it into that competition. It’s almost like being in Hollywood; you have a script, the scene/race has already been rehearsed. I’ve trained, sacrificed and worked hard, so now it’s time to portray that in front of the World."

"This is my first medal after the second baby, so it is actually a long time, and it's what I told myself before the sixth throw - that I have to show my boys how to fight,"

"That's what I told myself. And then they ran to me and it was the most beautiful moment in my career, I guess."

"I am fighting always until the end, Nothing is lost until the finish of the competition. I knew that I would fight and I knew that I would throw more, that's what I knew."

""My story is unique, in that the first part of my life, my journey, I hit the pinnacle of my career, and it was a very public career, and then I made decisions that cost me all of that"."

""I realized that people might not forgive me but that God forgives, and if He can forgive me I can forgive myself and I will be okay"."

""The weight and the baggage of many years of knowing that. I’ve been blessed with a super amount of talent but I could not go on any more with this baggage, lying to the world, lying to God"."

""I surely wish that I could go back and change certain things in my past, on one hand, but then I wouldn't be who I am today, someone who I'm actually really proud of"."

""I made a mistake. I made the choice to, at that time, protect myself, to protect my family, and I’ve paid the consequences dearly"."

""I want people to understand everybody makes mistakes … I truly think a person’s character is determined by their admission of their mistakes and beyond that what they do about it … It’s really about looking forward, looking to the future, how can I make this wrong a right"."

""You can remember me winning races, winning medals, breaking records -- but how, then, is that going to help you in your day-to-day life?"."

""I still struggle with knowing that I let a lot of people down. I disappointed a lot of people that love and care for me, worldwide, and when I think about that it kind of gives me the motivation to kind of keep going on"."

""By helping people, it's a form of healing for myself, because I hurt so many people. I know that"."