Usoro: My life, my athletics!
Caleb Akinboro and Victor Thompson
It is quite amazing seeing Nigerian teenagers achieving a lot with their God-given talents in sports. This is evident to the great feat achieved by an 18-year-old Ruth Usoro, who is believed to be following the footsteps of Africa’s fastest woman, Blessing Okagbare, in both track and field events.
Usoro recently emerged with a gold medal in the long jump event as she represented Nigeria at the 2016, U-23 All Economic Community of West African (ECOWAS) Games in Gambia.
Speaking to Extra Time, Usoro, a 2015 secondary school leaver of National College Gbagada, Lagos State, narrated her career rise in athletics.
”Sincerely, I didn’t expect to participate or even win at the ECOWAS Games. When they broke the news to me that I made the team I was excited because it was my first time of representing my country.
“I recall that I was actually meant to represent the country in other competitions in Africa earlier, but I was denied of it and didn’t go. My name was actually in the list, but I was replaced by someone. So I was excited and when I heard they were removing some names again and I became so scared because I was eager to represent my country and felt I could do well, but God made it happen,” she enthused.
According to the head coach of Esteem Athletics Club, Coach Uruemu Adu, he described Usoro as a very good athlete that has a great future before her.
“Usoro Ruth is an elegant athlete, an all-rounder, a sprinter and a jumper and I’ve been training her for nine years now. I was excited and happy when she was selected for the U-23 ECOWAS Games because we’ve longed expected it and that was supposed to be her first international outing.
“Although, we are hoping that by now, she should have gone for more competitions, but I think the ECOWAS Games was good for her.
“So far so good, Usoro has the best of the coaches, but I think for now we are looking for more support. You will be surprised she’s jumping with an oversize spikes shoe and it doesn’t tell well on her. However, I think what she needs now is support,” said Coach Adu.
Similarly, her field event coach, Coach Oluyomi Oladimeji Sule, who specializes in training long jumpers stated that Usoro is a unique and intelligent athlete who is a blessing to Nigeria.
“Ruth is a very unique athlete; I will tell you she has good attributes some athletes don’t really have. She’s a special girl, blessed by God with talents and she’s using it the right way.
“It’s been a long time that I’ve seen a girl who is level-headed, talented and very intelligent; you tell her to do one thing and she does it with all her heart and mind.
“Coach Adu brought Usoro from the scratch, then she was on general training until 2014 and I mentor her on the technical part of her field events which is long jump. Her trainings generally and preparations for major competitions are being done by Coach Adu.
“When it’s time for training techniques, she comes to me and we’ve been doing that for two years now; everything has been working well.
“Usoro has been due for the selection to represent Nigeria for the World Youth Championship, but there was an error of omission. She was supposed to represent Nigeria before now, but she was too young,” he confessed.
Usoro, a native of Akwa-Ibom was born on October 8, 1997, and started her athletics career at the age of nine and I’ve been on the track for nine unbroken years which is from 2009 till date.
She speaks further on her career rise: “It all started when we were watching an Olympic Games event at home in the sitting room and I loved the way the athletes ran; the way they held their flags and running round the track and everything and I really loved the excitement I saw on their faces!
“So I decided to go into it and told my dad I will love to represent my country, Nigeria. At first, he thought I was joking and said do I think athletics is rice and beans? That was the word he used! But I kept on recalling my dad’s words and with time he knew I was very serious about it.
“My dad later took me to the National Stadium, Lagos and I met the stadium manager, but he said no other coach could handle me there that I should come the next day. I went there the next day and I met Coach Adu who I have been with for nine good years,” she said.
Looking at her records, Usoro has hit a personal best of 12.10s and 24.9s in the 100m and 200m respectively. She also has leaped a 6.11m in the long jump; and of course in the recent ECOWAS Games, she leaped to victory with a 5.77m, while her lowest in the long jump was a 5.6m at the Sapele Golden League.
Usoro revealed her lovely experience with her other team mates at Gambia during the ECOWAS Games, but didn’t like the fact that they arrived few hours to the competition.
“True, it was my first trip outside the country. I felt great, I felt that I’ve changed environment even though it’s still in Africa.
The most exciting part is the people I got to meet at the national camp; most of our world junior hopefuls like Aniekeme Alphonsus, Mercy Ntiagbong, Dama Adudu, so many of them were good to me,” she said.
Howbeit, no matter how great someone is, there will always be challenges whatsoever. Usoro said that she has had challenges with her coach, friends who always look down on her and believe she can’t do a certain thing because of her stature and affirmed that she has learnt never to think of her challenges.
“I tend to be challenged when I’m not doing some things right on track, and my coach tasks me to work on my weakness to improve,” she said.
“I believe I will achieve more by God’s grace because I was the best athlete in Ibile Games where I won the gold in 100m, 200m and long jump and that was after George Magdalene (previous winner) finished school.
“Also, in 2014 South-West DAWN GAMES, I was the most outstanding female athlete and I won a trophy.
“I was also given an award by Teen’s Favorite Magazine where I was awarded as the best sport personality and I feel these are great achievements”.
Usoro further told Extra Time that her family, coaches and team mates has been her motivation since she started her athletics career and looks on to her senior athletes in the track and field events to courage her to greatness.
“My role model in athletics is Blessing Okagbare, though I will love to be better than her and for my long jump is Ese Brume whom I want to be better than also.
“Internationally for track, there is a lady they say I look like, Allyson Felix, who is the 200 meters world record holder and will love to be better than her.
For my long jump, my idol is Bartoleta, she’s also from the US and the world record holder for the event now and I hope to surpass her record someday,” she concluded.
“My role model in athletics is Blessing Okagbare, though I will love to be better than her and for my long jump is Ese Brume whom I want to be better than also.”
