Nigeria’s hopes of picking a medal in the Marathon event at the London Olympic was dashed as its athlete in the race Esther Obiekwe, has announced she would not be taking part in the August 5 event due to an injury she sustained while trainning.
Obiekwe, a Diamond Bank employee who is an avid runner has represented Nigeria in many international Marathon meets, including the prestigious Boston Marathon.
In an emotion laden speech, Obiekwe who was close to tears said, ““Given my times relative to the Olympic field, it is crucial I step to the starting line at peak fitness, so I represent my country with pride and honour. I now recognise I am unable to ensure this. It would be selfish of me to insist on participation in this physical condition for 42 kilometers. I have always said that the name on the front of my team uniform is more important than the name on the back.”
The athlete who qualified for London 2012 as an exempt (non-qualified) participant in the marathon also described events that led to the injury.
“I severely twisted my ankle on the 25th of July when jumping off an elevated curb and now my knee and ankle hurts and cannot take the impact of running. But I continued training with some ankle and knee pad which a Physio recommended could help alleviate the pain. This is because I want to ensure I dont let myself or our nation down. But yesterday night and this morning’s training proved otherwise. I re-injured. I am seeking treatment but given the proximity of the race which is in 3days time, it does not allow enough recovery time, I am in deep tears as I really want to do this not just for myself or to win the Gold medal. As the only amateur slated for this race my sole aim is to depict the Olympic slogan which is to “inspire a generation” Obiekwe said.
Although an regarded as an amateur, she has taken a very professional by ensuring she represents her country at the highest level at optimum fitness