Orkula Shaagee
12 October 2008
Africa's current fastest man; Nigeria's Olusoji Fasuba has sensationally revealed that he crashed out of the 100 metres quarter-final qualifying round because he was running with injury.
He, therefore, blamed his poor showing at the Beijing Games to the injury that denied him the opportunity of wining medals at the games which Nigeria placed 37 on the over-all medals table with 1 silver, and 3 bronze medals.
He stated that he sustained the injury while participating in the EXXON/NNPC Mobil Trials in Abuja, which the Athletics Federation of Nigeria used to pick athletes to represent the country at the quadrennial sports jamboree.
According to Fasuba, who spoke to reporters shortly after a reception organized by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp in Abuja, he had spent personal money to get the would heal before the 2008 Olympic Games which proved abortive.
While preparations for the Olympic Games were in top gear, Fasuba said he traveled to Sweden where he treated the wound, only for it to re-appear during the Olympics proper, putting paid to his ambition of wining medals for the country at the sports fiesta.
Fasuba heaped blames on the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) officials who, he said insisted that he must participate in the 400x100 metres relay at the Mobil Trials which led to his injury.
"I was not able to do my best and win medals for the country at the Beijing Olympic Games because I was running with an injury, which I sustained while participating at the Mobil Trials in Abuja.
"The AFN officials insisted that I must be part of those who competed in the 4x100 metres relay, and it was during the race that I sustained the injury.
"after the trail, I went to Sweden where I spent my personal money to treat the wound with the hope that it will heal before the Olympics, it actually healed, only for it re-surface in Beijing," Fasuba stated.
He also said the failure to accredit his trainer for the Games also affected psychologically, as he struggled to gain concentration to battle for laurels against athletes from other parts of the globe.
"Another issue is that my trainer was not accredited for the Olympic Games and that affected me in a way because he was not having access to me as required," Fasuba added.
He said he would have opted out of the Olympic train but chose to travel with Team Nigeria out of patriotism, so as to salvage Nigeria's pride at the Games.
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