United States-based athletics coach and father of sprinter, Udodi Onwuzurike, Chris Onwuzurike, has revealed that the rising star would soon be a world beater on the 200m.
Udodi showed promises when he burst onto the scene at the 2021 World Athletics Junior Championships in Nairobi, Kenya. With 20.21seconds, he won the 200m gold and set a new national record in Nairobi. But Udodi soon faced injury and other challenges that sidelined him for 11 months.
However, this season, he is showing flashes of his old self. His father and manager, Chris Onwuzurike, said Udodi has left behind his struggles and is now ready to explode.
“He is very ready and you have to understand the challenges that he is going through this year, coming out of college, changing coaches and he was also injured,” said Onwuzurike
“He just started running about a month ago, so he is trying to catch up. Most athletes don’t really get to the level that he is with all the challenges that he has been confronting, changing coaches, coming out of almost 11 months injury.
“I’m glad to see him running and we look forward to seeing him at the podium for the 200m race.” Speaking on the seeming resurgence in Nigerian track and field, Onwuzurike said the country had what it takes to be on the same level with U.S. and Jamaica, adding, however, that Nigerian athletes must be given professional grooming and management to excel.
“The future holds a lot of significance for Nigerian track and field with what is going on, the excitement that is being created as we can see at the trials.
“If I was to gauge what the future would hold in the next three-five years, if these energies are well harnessed, I see Nigeria competing well with the U.S. and Jamaica in athletics.
“We have a lot of athletes coming up at home and abroad and the key is to really harness it well. The challenge is for the AFN and the country to make sure we harness this.
A lot of our children locally and also the foreign-born are beginning to identify with what we do here and they are coming up,” he stated.
