The common wealth junior medalist Aniekeme Alphonsus and the Mobil School Athletics championship spoke to new Telegraph
How far?
It has been going well for me, at least I
have been improving tremendously. The
most important thing for me is to continue
to get better every day with each
competition.
Why did you feel disappointed after your
100m final at the Olukoya trials?
The time I returned was very bad compared
to what I did in the heat. I was looking
forward to dropping my time from 11.3secs
to like 11.1secs or worst 11.2secs, but
finishing 11.57secs was a bad return for
me. When I look at the timer, I was
ashamed of myself, but I know I will bounce
back. I have to continue working hard to
get my set target as an athlete. I am still
very young and has a lot of years ahead of
me year
What prompted you to go for athletics and
why short sprints?
I actually started since when I was in
primary school, but just for the fun of it
until a coach saw me and asked me to try
and give it my all. According to him, I have
the potential to become great in athletics.
So, I took to his words and started training
with him and that was how the whole
success story started. I also decided to
concentrate on 100m and 200m because I
am good at both. I don’t have stamina for
400m or longer distance, so I continue to
use my energy for the short sprints.
You won five medals at the
Commonwealth Youth Games last year in
Samoa, after a good performance at the
African Junior Championship in Ethiopia,
what really gave you that confidence?
I will say the level of training I went
through before the two competitions. We
were in camp for a long time in Sagamu
before the competition in Ethiopia, while
we were in camp with top athletes
preparing for the World Championship in
Port Harcourt before we travelled to Samoa.
Although the treatment was not up to
standard, we the athletes were determined
to make name for ourselves and the hard
work paid off with so many medals for the
country in the two championships.
You have been competing with the senior
athletes since the beginning of the 2016
season, do you feel intimidated?
Training with them has helped me to
imisprove seriously, but sometimes while
linieng up with them on the block, I am kind
of scared. I tried to focus on my race and I
am happy that gradually, I am getting used
to racing with them.
How have you been coping with athletics
and your studies?
It has not been easy especially in this
country Nigeria where education is placed
as top priority. I usually wake up as early
as 6am to start my training and later go to
class for my studies. Sometimes I have to
double my training instead of spreading it
because of the limited time, but I am trying
my best to merge the two.
Why did you chose University of Port
Harcourt?
Most schools in the country don’t have the
facilities for training but Uniport is
different. They have good tartan tracks and
good trainers. The High Performance Centre
is also located inside the stadium, so all
these put together swayed my decision to
pick the school, and I don’t have any regret
doing that. I am just in my first semester
and I can say I am enjoying my time there.
What has been your parents’ reaction to
your chosen career?
They have been of great support, maybe
because my daddy was an athlete too during
his days. So I didn’t have any problem with
them putting more energy into athletics,
although they keep telling me to give
enough time also to my education.
Is your decision to go into athletics paying
off?
I wait will say yes because it has taken me to so
many places while also meeting top people
that ordinarily I wouldn’t have met
What have you achieved money wise from
athletics?
I didn’t go into athletics for money, I took
up athletics because of the passion I have
for the sport and I know very soon it will
take me to the top where the money will
start flowing without struggling for it. I
love doing it and nothing else.
Who is your role model in athletics?
I look up to Blessing Okagbare from Nigeria.
She imis someone I really love especially
her achievement for the country and I hope
to reach up to that level in my career. And
from the international scene, Jamaican
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, one of the best in
the world.
Comments
Post a Comment