How would you rate the standard of the Athletics event at the 17th Sports Festival currently going on in Port Harcourt, Rivers State?
I would say the standard is high like we have seen in other festivals. Already few new records have been set, which shows the competitive spirit of the Athletes. They have also shown that talents abound in this country.
We have seen Athletes emerge from the festival and go on to become international stars. The quality of what we have seen so far is an indication that the trend will continue.That is one of the aims and objective of organizing the festival itself.
So in few years time, I expect to see some of these Athletes make it at the international stage for the country which they have exhibited the character do achieve starting from here.
You are a product of the National Sports Festival yourself, you later became an internationally acclaimed star. What is the experience like competing at this tournament?
It was a great experience for me back then as a green horn trying to show what I could do and win medals for my state. The energy, the youthful exuberance, the desire to shine all combined together to bring out the best in me.
Kwara ‘88 was a great experience for me as it shot me into national prominence. You know I won four gold medals and people were saying who is this young girl? where is she from? all sorts of question were asked.
But the most important thing for me was going on to make a name for myself at the international stage. You know when you show that kind of promise at such age, people expect so much from you and not disappointing at the end of the day is a great joy for me.
The festival then gave me the platform to show what I could do to our coaches here and I hope the present set of competitors will also seize an opportunity like this to launch their careers too.
How were you you able to make that transformation from a green horn to becoming to festival champion and then later an Olympics and World Championship medalist.
Hard work is highly important in anything one is doing in life. Aside that, I think I was properly groomed into becoming a star. The kind of training programme in place then was simply superb. You know possessing the raw skills is one thing, then getting the coaches and the right programme to fine tune the skill is another thing entirely.
That is the most urgent thing for us now after this festival, that is making sure we mould those Athletes who have shown they have the potentials to become world beaters into that. That is very important in order for them to be able to fulfil their their potentials.
Since you and the likes of Fatima Yusuf left the scene, we have seen much from the Athletes but we have not seen quatermilers good enough to take over from you guys. What do you think is the problem?
I think young ones coming up now are doing their best but we need to give them time to sharpen whatever talents they have. On our part, we know what is required from us which is to help them hone their skills and we have to ensure we do that.
We were once like them too but it was our coaches who helped us develop our skills and turned us into stars. They too will get there, it is just a matter of time. It has to be gradual.
But most Athletes always complain of lack of support from government and corporate bodies.
That is one thing they need to put off from their minds. They should forget about whatever treatment they are facing at the moment and be focused on their careers. It happened in our team but were determined and we survived. To be a champion, you must be determined in the face of difficulties.
You can complain from now till eternity without achieving anything so, they need to shun that act. Once you are professionally minded in everything you are doing, you will surely get there.
