At the just concluded Mobil Track and Field Championship, held in Calabar, Obinna Metu posted a time of 10.25secs and 21.17secs to win the 100m and 200m respectively. Metu spoke of his fears and expectations in this interview with Athletics Africa.Com.
How does it feel being a champion?
Actually to be a champion is not easy, you train morning and evening you need to be focus, you need to know the kind of friends you make, where you eat, where you stay. And you need to know that part of the training involves tasking the brain.
On the track you have to perfect your training mentally. Without that u cannot really achieve many things. Before I win, I would have prepared myself for winning. Most times, I already have a set mind that I have won, in fact, it is another training.
Although, because you are winning all the time, does not mean that everybody is not doing the same you are doing, it is not because you train more than others, there are people that train for six hours, some two but it depends on how you think and arrange yourself.
So how do you keep in form?
Avoiding things that will give you injury, some type of trainig so that is just it. An athlete should not be thinking of what the management is going to do for them, the management should rather be thinking of what they are going do for the athletes.
Tell us about the first day you ran in Mobil Track and Field Championship?
Actually the first day I won Mobil, that was in 2008, I can say that is the competition that will remain green in my memory, because sometimes I have been thinking of the day I would run with Deji Aliu, Fasuba, Emedolu and some other big athletes I have watched on television, I always wonder when I will race with them, I never knew I will beat most of them, so my joy is that I met those people in life actually not because I have beaten them.
But that does not mean I am better than them because they were once Nigeria's No.1 and are world class athletes. But my joy is that, I competed with some of them, before they retired. In fact, I want to run with everybody because I am not afraid of anybody, I am ready to run for as long as I can go.
Does your family support your profession?
I am the only one taking part in sports, and my family is supporting me financially, morally and what have you. I am form Anambra state.
Nigeria has produced many star athletes from Anambra State. what is the secret with athletes of Anambra origin?
Anambra is blessed and has produced many athletes. I believe God gives some people in some areas talents, for instance, Brazil is good in football.
Jamaica is gradually turning into an athletics nation, Nigeria is gradually being known as a sprinting state, particular. Well I can say, I am lucky to have come from that state and doing well.
What is the problem with athletics in Nigeria?
The people up there should know what is the problem. Please ask them, why Nigeria is not moving up in sports, my main concern is with my sports it is not the problem of athletes, you see they have organised the Mobil tracks and they have seen results in Mobil we are not disrupting the movement, it is left for the leaders to sort it out it is left for the leaders to know why track and field is not moving forward in Nigeria.
Have you ever considered running for another nation?
Everybody has his decision to make, if he thinks naturalizing is better, that is his own business. Actually I don't pray to have injury but incase such situation occurs, God will give me the wisdom to tackle it.
Who among the top athletes do you fear most?
Actually sports is not meant for one person because if it is meant for one person, I don't think people should come into watch track and field or football because of just one person.
The very day Usain Bolt was made champion, he didn't know because I was in Osaka 2007, world championship, Usain Bolt was like 3rd in the 200m race. He didn't even race in the 100m, then his personal best was 10.1secs. I was shocked like two years ago that is in 2008 he came out with a powerful record, smashing the world record and becoming the world champion. I believe Jamaicans really take care of him.
So how do you want to surpass Bolt's achievement?
With my own personal training and focus and ability. Nobody knows when he is going to be a champion everything is in the hands of God, so I believe if i have the energy, I am not afraid of anybody, what matters is who gets to the finishing line, I am going to do my best and leave the rest to God. It is God that makes champions.
You are so close to Uche Emedolu. Was he the one that discovered you?
I was not discovered by Emedolu, I was discovered in my secondary school games, when one or two athletes came up to meet me and told me they really want me to join the track and field.
Besides I have been meeting some guys in the school that use to run in the invitational relay, so when I saw them in the track and field, they told me that they train everyday, but i felt like joining them. So once in a while I normally join them for training, along the line I met Samanja.
You know a coach will bring you up to a certain level, while the other one can take it to a higher level, so after some time I chose to be training with Uche Emedolu because I felt that then he was an international athlete and active. He has won so many medals.
He is among those sponsoring me. He has sponsored me financially. I know he has so much experience due to his international exposure, so I felt like joining him to train and he accepted me, actually he was the one that advised me, that if i really want to train with him, that the sky was my limit.
He said that he saw a lot of talents in me that if I make up my mind to train with him that will make me great, so I now moved up with him, before he got retired.
So how do you unwind?
I am in school and I sometimes like travelling, some times I just go for holidays in Ghana, I may wake up one day and see my self in Kenya, sometimes I travel to Europe. My job in particular takes me everywhere. Sometimes I go to train in Europe, I also work for the Nigeria prisons.
What have you achieved on this job?
All my life I have been praying to be great, I have always wanted to be famous guy. That has
always being my target. Money is not problem, if you are doing well, money will come in naturally, my joy in athletics is that it has taken me to so many places that I didn't even expect.
Do you know how much it costs me to go to those places, it has made me meet important people and be recognized because that is really what I want in my life, Athletics has made me achieve my dream of becoming a popular person in Nigeria and in the world.
How does it feel winning this year's edition of the Mobil Track and Field Championship?
I can say that this competition has made me know the level of my performance based on the
training I have done and some of competitions I have gone to Europe. So winning this Mobil
again, was a little bit competitive but it will make me get ready for the African championship and Commonwealth games.
You know I ran a lot of races as part of my training, as well, not really competition so I believe as time goes on, my coach who is here with me to watch me run now know my weaknesses, so I believe we are going back home to the drawing board we are going to do a lot of preparations because we are actually going to face the world.
Do you miss Fasuba in this competition?
I think it is by God's grace because you prepare hard for war but God gives the victory. I am very sorry for the injury Fasuba has because he is a very good friend of mine, we stayed together, eat and drink, and I wish him a quick recovery.
And by the time he comes back next year, he should try and improve in his time because in Nigeria now track and field in sprint is going down because we need people that would come to the level, 9secs or 10.1secs, so we can groom up the team.
The only thing we need is for AFN to stop discriminating against people, so that they will come up, you know it is long that Nigeria picked up medal in the championships when we train together we are still better.
They should call the athletes together and ask them what they really need, to know the mind of the athletes they should know what they can give the athletes to feel better.
Thank you for speaking with us Obinna.
Thank you too.