Udodi Uwazurike showed a lot of promise when he burst into the scene at the 2021 World Athletics Junior Championships in Nairobi, Kenya.
With 20.21secs he won the 200m gold and set a new national record, but Udodi soon faced injury and other challenges that kept him sidelined. However, this season he is showing flashes of his old self and his dad and manager Chris Onwuzurike said Udodi has left behind his struggles and he is ready to explode.
“He is very ready and you have to understand the challenges that he is going through this year, coming out of college, changing coaches and he was also injured,” said Chief Onwuzurike
“He just started running about a month ago so he is trying to catch up.
“Most athletes don’t really get to the level that he is with all the challenges that he’s been confronting, changing coaches, coming out of almost 11 months injury.
” I’m glad to see him running and we look forward to seeing him at the podium for the 200m race.”
Speaking on the seeming resurgence Nigerian track and field, Chief Onwuzurike said the country has what it takes to be on the same level with the USA and Jamaica, but Nigerian athletes must have to be given professional grooming and management.
“The future holds a lot of significance for Nigerian track and field. With what is going on, the excitement that is being created as we can see at the trials,” he said.
“If I was to gauge what the future would hold in the next three-five years, if these energies are well harnessed, I see Nigeria competing well with the US and Jamaica in this athletics.
“We have a lot of athletes coming up at home and abroad and the key is to really harness it well. The challenge is for the AFN and the country to make sure we harness this.
“A lot of our children locally and also the foreign born are beginning to identify with what we do here and they are coming up.”
