Nigerian pioneering hurdler and former Athletics Federation of Nigeria head coach, Armelia Edet has tasked members of the nation’s athletics ruling body to reposition the sport to achieve more results.
Miss Edet was speaking against the background of the recent mind blowing 12.12 secs world record run done by 100m hurdler Tobi Amusan at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA. Amusan, a former junior athlete rose from the ranks to become the first ever Nigerian track and field athlete to set a world record and also the first woman to run that fast.
“Nigeria has always been blessed in athletics. We were a dominate force in Africa. And we were top ten with rest of the world at one time.
“So we should be asking ourselves what happened? We are not there because we don’t want to be there. We lost everything.
“We have good athletes here at home. What are we doing back then that we are not doing now?
” The AFN must work to bring the glorious years back?
“It should not be like Solomon Ogba who in those days would go and bring athletes who couldn’t make the US team to run for Nigeria and say their grand fathers are from Ughelli.
“We must move from the era of jumping into the plane and travelling to the championships without adequate preparations.”
She added that the AFN must start by drawing up a development programme.
“There is no grassroots programme just like AK Amu had. He had a programme and he worked to achieve it.
“But now what are they doing, what is the technical committee doing? We are going to the world junior with athletes that should be running senior. How can we take a 24 year-old to the world junior and expect that the she can be nurtured to stardom like Amusan and Ese Brume, These are athletes who graduated from the junior level.”
She called on the AFN to work hard and support emerging and established athletes.
” For Instance Back in the days we always had training grants for the athletes but now there is nothing like that.
“There has to be support for the athletes to feel motivated to do more for themselves and the country.”