CAA African U18/U20 c’ships will unearth Nigeria’s next Olympic stars– Udo-Obong
Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medalist and Chairman of the Technical Committee for the CAA U-18/U-20 African Athletics Championships, Enefiok Udo-Obong, has expressed confidence that the upcoming competition will play a crucial role in discovering Nigeria’s future Olympic stars. Speaking ahead of the championships, scheduled to hold from July 16 to 20 at the MKO Abiola […]
udo obong
Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medalist and Chairman of the Technical Committee for the CAA U-18/U-20 African Athletics Championships, Enefiok Udo-Obong, has expressed confidence that the upcoming competition will play a crucial role in discovering Nigeria’s future Olympic stars.
Speaking ahead of the championships, scheduled to hold from July 16 to 20 at the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta, Udo-Obong urged participating countries and athletes not to see the event as a do-or-die affair focused only on results, but rather as a platform for long-term athlete development.
Udo-Obong, who also chairs the event’s Technical Committee, emphasized that the true value of the competition lies beyond medals and includes grooming talent for future global success.
“The benefits of the U-18/U-20 athletics championships in any level cannot be underestimated” he told the Media Committee. “It’s the beginning where young and developing athletes get their first chance at exposure, international exposure, the first feel of pressure, and this is by no means a little win developing the mental toughness, the competitive mobility of an athlete.
“Competing at such underage tournament is at times termed the identification phase, the development phase. It is the beginning of the exposure phase and the ability to weather this type of pressure, whether it is in terms of adversity, expectation, or the strict competition rules, regimented kind of programme, and still succeed.
Speaking further, Udo-Obong, who anchored the Nigeria 4x400m relay to success at the Sydney Olympics said; “It is part of the process in building talented athletes. So the experience gathered by young athletes can by no means be overestimated.
“Results are not really the most important thing at this level. It is what the athlete can learn and the experience gathered are the most important thing at this level. And how they navigate through this is what will make them better athletes in future.”