C
Chris Maduewesi
Guest
Rap artist MI featuring Tuface,sang a song ‘Nobody’ and the chorus of the music,embodies how someone amasses a Himalayan proportion,owing to his her achievement in life.
‘If Nobody talks about you,then you are Nobody! Whether na true dem talk or na lie…”
Certainly Nigeria’s A-list athlete,Blessing Okagbare,is ‘Somebody’ which underlies the reasoning why she appears to be on everybody’s lips.
The 2013 World Athletics Championship commences on Saturday in Moscow, and once again,Nigeria’s hopes for a medal is pinned down solely to the whatever goods Okagbare,turns up with at the Championship.
Exactly the same scenario that panned out before the London 2012 Olympics Games,is what is glaringly starring us in the face.
A situation where before an international event,the weight of expectation of 160million people,is comfortably placed on the shoulders of a 24-year old athlete.
Isn’t it alluring to be that one athlete,that so many people are looking up to,who would take them to an El doroado? certainly it is quite an appealing prospect.
But balancing it properly on a scale,the expectation could be suffocating and possibly choke someone up,don’t you think so?
Question,is it any of Okagbare’s fault to be in such shoes?well that is what virtually anybody would covet.
Okagbare has set a high standard,that at the moment,anything short of a triumph in any of her events,could even be deemed as a mediocre performance.
A typical example,is the London Olympics,Okagbare won her races in the heats,in breathtaking fashion,that in the finals many expected her to at least finish in the medal’s zone.
Well disappointingly she didn’t and finished last in the race,but not everybody realised that making the last eight in the whole world is an achievement,with many dubbing it a failure,just because she didn’t finish in the medal spot.
Truth is that the whole Team Nigeria’s contingent failed at the London Olympics,but Okagbare particularly failed because of the enormous pressure she was under at the games.
And here comes another championship,and once again we are all drooling over Okagbare.
She herself is not helping issues,Okagbare defeated the world’s best at Diamond meets,that you would be tempted to stuck up the bucks on her to win,if you’re a betting man.
But she goes about this with an aura of modesty,maybe wittingly,only her knows what is in her mind.
At the Anniversary Games in London,two weeks ago,Okagbare stunned everybody,shattering an African record,as a matter of fact,two records to set a new one of 10.79secs in the Women’s 100m.
Okagbare by winning the race wiped off the blot of losing on that tracks last year,where she faltered,and got herself something to cheer about,this time around.
And when you expect her to explode in delirium,though ecstatic when interviewed by BBC Sport,she still said that the world champion Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce is the favourite to win at World Championship in Moscow.
You might wonder,is this a ploy by Okagbare to lull her opponents into their comfort zone,so that she can capitalize and shock them?
Why is she not believing in her own hype,or is she deliberately underrating herself.
Already the World champion,Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce,whom Okagbare defeated,finishing in fourth position two weeks,is upbeat about her own chances.
“I am thinking about what Shelly-Ann can do, I am not thinking about anybody else because for me, I believe at Championships, persons don’t come here to lay down and hand you a medal. I am here to focus on what I need to do, focus on my lane and everything else will fall into place,” the two-time Olympic champion said.
“Everybody is here to get something, but I am not focusing on any individual athlete because for me, you never know. But if you’re mentally and physically ready, you can get there, so that’s what I’m focusing on.”
The Jamaican added: “the ladies in the 100m have been doing phenomenal things and running well and that’s a challenge. I love challenges and I am ready and praying that everything works out,” Shelly Ann said.
Couldn’t Okagbare have psyched up herself with such confident speeches,and also maintaining her meek-like attitude and then storm the world.
Maybe just as a renowned Athletics administrator,Brown Ebewele(Juju Man) told Vanguard Sports,she could be under intense pressure,knowing that a lot rests on her.
“I fear that Blessing may be under pressure but I pray she remains strong,” Ebewele said.
“We went to the London Olympics and banked all our hopes on one person. The same thing is happening today.
Immediately after Okagbare broke the African record in London,both the Sports ministry and Nigeria Olympics Committee,took time and spaces to laud her exploits in the dailies.
Truth is that if she was ‘Nobody’ I doubt if she would be written about,people praised her because she became ‘Somebody,’ well breaking that African record was certainly no easy feat.
But Nigerian fans are the most fickle,and will not hesitate to bring out the knives when you as much flicker their hopes,your past achievements would be quickly discarded and like 2face succinctly puts it: “They go sit down for corner,Just dey dissect you,Dey analyze you; Some of them go criticize,Some of then go idolize you.”
Okagbare will be competing in four events: 100,200,4x100m and Long Jump events. And she has been widely tipped for a medal at least in one of them.
She more than anybody else would know and sing: “So many eyes I realize as I rise”
Definitely people will talk about her performances in Moscow; and I am sure she would want us to talk how she won a world title,which automatically drifts the conversation to ‘Idolizing’ her rather than ‘Dissecting’ her!
Continue reading...
‘If Nobody talks about you,then you are Nobody! Whether na true dem talk or na lie…”
Certainly Nigeria’s A-list athlete,Blessing Okagbare,is ‘Somebody’ which underlies the reasoning why she appears to be on everybody’s lips.
The 2013 World Athletics Championship commences on Saturday in Moscow, and once again,Nigeria’s hopes for a medal is pinned down solely to the whatever goods Okagbare,turns up with at the Championship.
Exactly the same scenario that panned out before the London 2012 Olympics Games,is what is glaringly starring us in the face.
A situation where before an international event,the weight of expectation of 160million people,is comfortably placed on the shoulders of a 24-year old athlete.
Isn’t it alluring to be that one athlete,that so many people are looking up to,who would take them to an El doroado? certainly it is quite an appealing prospect.
But balancing it properly on a scale,the expectation could be suffocating and possibly choke someone up,don’t you think so?
Question,is it any of Okagbare’s fault to be in such shoes?well that is what virtually anybody would covet.
Okagbare has set a high standard,that at the moment,anything short of a triumph in any of her events,could even be deemed as a mediocre performance.
A typical example,is the London Olympics,Okagbare won her races in the heats,in breathtaking fashion,that in the finals many expected her to at least finish in the medal’s zone.
Well disappointingly she didn’t and finished last in the race,but not everybody realised that making the last eight in the whole world is an achievement,with many dubbing it a failure,just because she didn’t finish in the medal spot.
Truth is that the whole Team Nigeria’s contingent failed at the London Olympics,but Okagbare particularly failed because of the enormous pressure she was under at the games.
And here comes another championship,and once again we are all drooling over Okagbare.
She herself is not helping issues,Okagbare defeated the world’s best at Diamond meets,that you would be tempted to stuck up the bucks on her to win,if you’re a betting man.
But she goes about this with an aura of modesty,maybe wittingly,only her knows what is in her mind.
At the Anniversary Games in London,two weeks ago,Okagbare stunned everybody,shattering an African record,as a matter of fact,two records to set a new one of 10.79secs in the Women’s 100m.
Okagbare by winning the race wiped off the blot of losing on that tracks last year,where she faltered,and got herself something to cheer about,this time around.
And when you expect her to explode in delirium,though ecstatic when interviewed by BBC Sport,she still said that the world champion Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce is the favourite to win at World Championship in Moscow.
You might wonder,is this a ploy by Okagbare to lull her opponents into their comfort zone,so that she can capitalize and shock them?
Why is she not believing in her own hype,or is she deliberately underrating herself.
Already the World champion,Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce,whom Okagbare defeated,finishing in fourth position two weeks,is upbeat about her own chances.
“I am thinking about what Shelly-Ann can do, I am not thinking about anybody else because for me, I believe at Championships, persons don’t come here to lay down and hand you a medal. I am here to focus on what I need to do, focus on my lane and everything else will fall into place,” the two-time Olympic champion said.
“Everybody is here to get something, but I am not focusing on any individual athlete because for me, you never know. But if you’re mentally and physically ready, you can get there, so that’s what I’m focusing on.”
The Jamaican added: “the ladies in the 100m have been doing phenomenal things and running well and that’s a challenge. I love challenges and I am ready and praying that everything works out,” Shelly Ann said.
Couldn’t Okagbare have psyched up herself with such confident speeches,and also maintaining her meek-like attitude and then storm the world.
Maybe just as a renowned Athletics administrator,Brown Ebewele(Juju Man) told Vanguard Sports,she could be under intense pressure,knowing that a lot rests on her.
“I fear that Blessing may be under pressure but I pray she remains strong,” Ebewele said.
“We went to the London Olympics and banked all our hopes on one person. The same thing is happening today.
Immediately after Okagbare broke the African record in London,both the Sports ministry and Nigeria Olympics Committee,took time and spaces to laud her exploits in the dailies.
Truth is that if she was ‘Nobody’ I doubt if she would be written about,people praised her because she became ‘Somebody,’ well breaking that African record was certainly no easy feat.
But Nigerian fans are the most fickle,and will not hesitate to bring out the knives when you as much flicker their hopes,your past achievements would be quickly discarded and like 2face succinctly puts it: “They go sit down for corner,Just dey dissect you,Dey analyze you; Some of them go criticize,Some of then go idolize you.”
Okagbare will be competing in four events: 100,200,4x100m and Long Jump events. And she has been widely tipped for a medal at least in one of them.
She more than anybody else would know and sing: “So many eyes I realize as I rise”
Definitely people will talk about her performances in Moscow; and I am sure she would want us to talk how she won a world title,which automatically drifts the conversation to ‘Idolizing’ her rather than ‘Dissecting’ her!
Continue reading...