By Uzor Odigbo
Special Correspondent, Lagos
A member of the Nigerian 4x400m relay quartet, Emerald Egwim, has disclosed that she was fit and ready to run, contrary to claims by Coach Gabriel Okon that she was ill hence was replaced by a jet-lagged Abike Egbeniyi in the final at the World Championships in London.
Nigeria, hard pressed to win a medal, was presented an opportunity in the 4x400m final when Jamaica pulled out.
However, Nigeria wobbled to a fifth finish with 3.26.72 seconds in the race in which they were expected to win at least a bronze having run 3.25.40 seconds, a season’s best, in the semi-final.
Egwim, Patience Okon, Glory Nathaniel and Yinka Ajayi achieved the feat.
Okon dropped Egwim in the final. When he came under a barrage of criticism over his decision, he claimed Egwim and Margaret Bamgbose were ill and needed medical attention.
“It is not true!” Egwin told TheNiche. “I was prepared and excited to run and even texted Coach Gabe the morning of the race to confirm I was running in the final.
“He said of course; and I went along my day as if I was running the final. I warmed up and then he told me Abike was running in my place.
“I would have loved to run and was smiling throughout my warm up. It is very unfortunate and a shame that we missed out on an opportunity to bring glory to Nigeria. It is a bitter disappointment.”
Nigeria finished without a medal and Nigerian athletics enthusiasts were angry with the way the women 4x400m team was handled.
Okon countered that the criticism was not based on facts, insisting that poor preparation and travel arrangements cost the country medals.
He said the team was hard pressed for runners, and he decided to run Egbeniyi who arrived London a night before the race, in which Nigeria came fifth even as their semi-final performance was good enough for a medal.
Critics believe that Egbeniyi’s lap slowed down the Nigerian women.
“First of all, in order to win medals the government must invest in the athletes and coaches. The federation must have a sound technical team and a viable secretariat. Medals are never won through uninformed ‘experts’ as we are doing right now,” Okon fired back.
He explained that Egbeniyi had to run as Egwim and Bamgbose needed medical help after their races.
“Emerald Egwim was so sick the night before; we had to start looking for a replacement, which we didn’t find. She complained of stomach upset. She barely warmed up for the 4x4m qualifying race … so we couldn’t have used her when there was a fresh leg in the team.”
But sprinter Endurance Ojokolo disagreed, saying: “Egwim ran so well in the semi-final. What kind of sickness could have stopped her?
“We are all athletes and we know these things; she could have been patched up to run. A half fit Egwim would be better than Abike who was home not training after Ozoro trials. She had no clue she would be going to the World Championships.”
