Udo-Obong
Enefiok
Udo-Obong is undoubtedly one of the most successful Nigerian
sprinters of modern times. The 31-year-old ran the last leg of the
Sydney 2000 Olympic Games men’s 4x400m relay final to win silver for the
Nigeria. But the International Olympic Committee in 2008 stripped the
US team of the gold medal after Antonio Pettigrew admitted using
performance-enhancing drugs during the Games and awarded the title to
the Nigerian quartet of Udo-Obong, Clement Chukwu, Jude Monye and
the late Sunday Bada. In this interview with FESTUS ABU, Athens 2004 Olympics bronze medallist Udo-Obong speaks about his sparkling career and future plans.
I’m undergoing an International Olympic
Games recognised Advanced Masters Course in Sports Administration and
Technology at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland.
How did you come into athletics?
It’s a long story. I started
(athletics) in school. I always competed and took interest in sports
from primary school to the university (University of Calabar).
Were you good at other sports?
Yes, I was good at almost every sport I
took part in. I played soccer, volleyball, tennis and many other
sports. However, track and field gave me a chance to shine and be the
best as I was always competitive. But what defined my stay in track and
field was in secondary school. I was in the Nigerian Military School,
Zaria (Kaduna State), and the military took sports seriously, so
seriously that when you lose, you are punished. Once, we were punished
hard for losing a football game due to no fault of mine. So I decided to
leave football and concentrate on a sport that I would be solely
responsible for my action.
Were your parents in support from the beginning?
Yes, my mother especially. She
encouraged me. She had a sporting background from the university and
West African University Games in the 60s. My dad didn’t necessarily
support me, but he didn’t discourage me either. Both my parents were
lecturers. So it’s important to see that education was the centre of my
upbringing.
How did your parents react when you began to represent the country?
My dad smiled. Unfortunately, my mother had passed on by then.