How my mistakes cost Nigeria a medal in RioAkinyemi
African K1 canoe slalom champion John Akinyemi opens up to Fever Pitch about his failed bid for a medal at the ongoing Rio Olympics, his desire to compete in Tokyo 2020 Games and proffers solutions to some of the issues holding back sports on the African
It must have been devastating not being able to achieve your Rio ambition despite all the trainings and preparations, how are you feeling at the moment?
I’m still feeling pretty down about the result at the moment. This is the second Olympics in a row in which i have made costly mistakes which have meant my time is not competitive. The first run until gate 20 was fast but a technical mistake on gate 20 meant I had to paddle back for the gate costing me over 10seconds. That put a lot of pressure on my second run and that got to me as my second run was rushed and scruffy. It is so frustrating racing so badly when training was going so well. Canoe Slalom is an unforgiving sport that punishes any mistakes you have to have perfect runs. I can only apologise for disappointing everyone.
What would you have done differently in order to have gone far or gotten medal in your sport?
The technical oversight meant I didn’t make the semi-final. I had practiced and trained enough I just needed to be better at the bottom of the course. I probably needed more time on white water. The European nations are so good with their lines and technique that if you make the smallest mistake you will be punished.
Did the nonchalant attitude of Nigeria’s sporting authorities play a part in your loss?
I just try to keep out of all the politics and blame trading. I’m an athlete soi try to stay out of anything that might distract me from my primary aim which is sport.
How would you describe the Team Nigeria Camp in terms of togetherness and support?
I’m lucky because I have the backing of my federation who do a great job with the limited resources they have. Every athlete in Rio is united through their love and pride of competing in the Green and White of Nigeria at the Olympics. We have seen some courageous efforts from our athletes especially in boxing, table tennis and football this should be the main focus. We need to focus on the positives and not the negatives.
Are you looking forward to Tokyo 2020 already?
At the moment I am still devastated by my result in Rio, I haven’t even been in kayak since. I’m taking time to pray and reflect, but will be back in my boat training for 2020 as soon as possible. I and my coach are planning already.
What will you be doing in the meantime?
Just training and looking forward to the next outing and hopefully I’ll be able to fulfill my dream of giving Nigeria a medal in my sport.
Any Advice to Nigeria’s sporting authorities on how to avoid a repeat of the shady preparations that dogged Rio 2016?
The past is in the past, let’s focus on the future and stay positive. We need to look to the future and focus on 2020 already. I hope we don’t spend the next four years looking backwards discussing how things could have been different or arguing over who is to blame for certain things. Let’s look to the future with a positive mind set and start preparing for 2020. We have seen a lot of potential in our athletes and if we nurture them over the next four years we will reap the rewards in Tokyo.
What should African sports do in order to rub shoulders with the rest of the world?
Africa needs to give more international competition exposure to their athletes. You can see so much potential in so many of the African Athletes, they obviously train as hard as everyone else and are string athletes. They just need more exposure to international competitions.