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Osayomi New Queen of African Tracks

Daily Champion
Ben Efe
29 July 2007

Six years down, she was just another kid whose future was in great doubt in a country that offers little chance of breakthrough to youths of the present generation, but providence was kind to have provided Damola Osayomi with sprinting prowess and gave her an opportunity to rise early to world reckoning and it has only just began for this youngster plucked from the dusty and obscure streets of Ado Ekiti.

She started her athletics odyssey first with the Maltina Schools relay and later graduated into being a star attraction of the Nkoyo Ibori under-20 women championships, she dominated two editions of the championships sponsored by the wife of former Delta State governor before being catapulted into international reckoning.

Her rise was facilitated by renowned grassroots coach, Samuel Akinyemi who spotted the young girl's running ability in the schools relay and Akinyemi ever hungry to nurture an upstart to stardom took up Osayomi into his cradle that have produced great athletes like Fatima Yusuf, Sunday Bada and Seun Ogunkoya.

In 2003 while Nigeria was preparing for the 8th All Africa Games, Akinyemi pleaded with then Athletics Federation of Nigeria president, Dan Ngerem to let Osayomi come into camp with the rest of the athletes.

And Mr. Ngerem who believes so much in youth development readily accepted not minding the bad feels that greeted the decision to take young Osayomi into camp. Indeed Osayomi justified her inclusion into the camp, when during the trials she ruffled the feathers of big girls like Endurance Ojokolo, though she did not participate in the All Africa Games in Abuja, athletics buff where convinced that they have a star in their hands.

In 2004 she qualified to represent Nigeria at the Olympics in Athens even though she was ready to run for Nigeria, officials thought otherwise as they considered Osayomi too inexperienced to run the relay and that really hurt the young athlete

But three years later Osayomi revealed that she is the new African Queen of the Tracks the continent has been waiting for after the exit of Mary Onyali who dominated the scene for over a decade.

At the 9th All Africa Games Osayomi put up an astonishing performance and proved beyond doubt that she is the best in the sprint division as she took the 100 and 200m gold, she was a hair breath from adding the sprint relay, but for a faulty team work by the Nigerian quartet and a dog-fight put up by Ghana's Vida Anim.

Osayomi convincingly won the 100m with 10.20 seconds leaving South Africa's Constance Mkenku and Anim trailing behind, in the 200m Osayomi also dusted the field finishing 23.22seonds to deservingly step into the shoes of Onyali, the only woman that have won a sprint double in the history of the Games.

"When I was coming I have no doubt in my mind that I would make it work, as I stepped into the tracks, I closed my eyes and said to myself, this is it and I am glad I did it," Osayomi said minutes after her conquest in Algiers.

But now she is not resting on her oars being an African champion, rather Osayomi is going back to the States to work on her start and finishing, equipping herself for the task ahead at the world championships in Osaka, Japan next month.

'I am going back to get myself ready for the world championships and I am hoping to do a better time, because I did not come to Algiers 100% fit. The bruised bone injury that I suffered has not sufficiently healed, but hopeful my coach would be able to work me back to shape on time.'

Osayomi said she was proud walking in the foot steps of Onyali adding that the former queen of the African tracks has been her role model. "She has been a great source of inspiration to me, there are times she would call me up and ask me how I am doing in practice, and I feel greatly honored that I am following in her footsteps."

Osayomi was given a wild card by the AFN to participate in the Games as she could not attend the Mobil Championship trials held in May. And at Algiers her arrival saved Nigeria the embarrassment of losing the precious gold, a tradition that the country's athletes have kept since the Games began in 1965 in Congo.

"We are justified in giving Osayomi the wild card and indeed I am proud of her achievement," said AFN president Violet Odogwu-Nwajei.

Even Endurance Ojokolo who protested her dropping from the race could not but applaud the heroics of Osayomi. "I was very upset when they told me that I was not running but now it is okay with me I am happy that Damola won it for Nigeria."

Copyright © 2007 Daily Champion

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