My target is to break Amike’s 1987 Nigerian record – Olowookere
24 David Olowookere ran a new Festival record of 51.07seconds to win the men’s 400m hurdles event at the just concluded 19th National Sports Festival in Abuja. His record when ratified by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) will erase the old 400m h
This is your first major race and you excelled, how do you feel winning the 400m hurdles? I’m so happy winning the gold medal and not letting down my manager and sponsors. It’s a stepping stone to greater heights breaking a national festival record is a plus to my career. I was elated when my coach ran a distance to hug me when I won the race. I saw it that I won the race before now at the Shiloh Ground.
My coach told me that 14 years ago, he won a gold medal at the 2004 National Sports Festival. He told me he was sure that I would replicate his feat. He was called the ‘Golden Boy’ then and he is the ‘Golden Father’. He is Johnson Adeyemi Abiodun from Kwara State.
You started from playing football, what informed the switch to athletics?
From my childhood I was always playing football. There was a time my mum bought me a David Beckham of England jersey and I bear David. It got to a time in my secondary school that my coaches then said there was no keeper in the world that would stop me in the 18 box.
When I got to the senior class, my coach then told me that football will end my career quickly that my talents are for athletics. He said my speed was not needed in football. I had a problem in football which was that I found it hard to track back and run. Since I made the switch, it has been good. I started from 4km to 1500m then to 800m which I did for some months before I came down to 400m. I made the move to run 400m hurdles and I told my coach who encouraged me.
What challenges did you face when you started running?
Some people told me that the shape of my legs and running form won’t take me far that I would be wasting my time. The first time I ran 400m hurdles and at the 5th hurdles, I had ran for 1 minute plus and my coach was not impressed but he encouraged me.
I remember my first national competition in 2016 after the death of my father, I went to Lagos for U-20 trials for World Junior Championship in Poland, I came third and since then I have been improving.
Do you have any regrets running instead of playing football?
I don’t regret ditching football for athletics. They are the same as they require running. When I am done with athletics, I will go back to football similar to what Usain Bolt is doing.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to continue with my academics, I want to go further because someday I will stop running but my certificates will keep me going later on. My target is to break Nigerian record set by Henry Amike in 1987 who clocked a time of 48.50s.
I want to start my training for the Tokyo 2020. My coach always says the end of a competition is the beginning of a new competition. I will go the All Africa Junior Championships, All Africa Games, World Championships and the Olympics.