The situation has become a source of worry for Yusuf Alli, a former Africa long jump record holder. Since his heroic feat of jumping 8.27 metres at the African Athletics Championship in Lagos in 1989, no Nigerian has ventured that close in the sport.
His record stood for eight years before it was broken in 1997 by Senegal‘s Cheikh Toure (8.46m). South Africa‘s Godfrey Mokoena is currently the record holder with a jump of 8.5 metres set in Madrid, Spain in 2009.
”It is a shame that we‘ve not been able to produce better athletes since then,” Alli told our correspondent in Lagos recently.
”Our programmes should be focussed on getting the best from athletes.”
If Alli could turn back the hands of time, he would use the opportunity to get the two dearest things he so missed in his life – to be a medical doctor and an Olympic gold medallist.
The Edo State-born retired jumper is currently in the service of the Lagos State Government, assisting in unearthing the best of talents from the grass roots. He appears satisfied with the job but can’t help feeling nostalgic when he thinks of how close he was to winning an Olympic gold medal in 1984.
”I think the best thing I achieved in athletics was being ranked as number four in the world,” Alli said after a deep thought about his gains on the tracks.
”I couldn‘t get better than the American trio of Carl Lewis, Larry Myricks and Mike Powell. They were way ahead of me. So if you remove the Americans from the picture, you‘d see I was the next big thing in the world.
”When I started my career as a teenager, my dream was to become the best there ever was in long jump and I came close to achieving that but you can never be certain of what lies in wait for you. I was expected to win the gold at the Los Angeles ‘84 Olympics but I disappointed everyone and that opportunity was gone forever.”
Before the Olympics, Alli was ranked as one of the best in the world and was expected to give the Americans the run for their money. He had just won gold at the 1983 World University Games in Edmonton, Canada, jumping 8.21 metres – one of the best in the world then. At the Olympics however he was a shadow of himself.
”The problem started with a minor ankle injury,” he said.
”Anyway, I thought it was minor but it developed into something else six weeks before the games.
”The injury affected my preparation and I had to struggle to make the team. I could not give my best in Los Angeles. I had jumped 8.21 in the previous year and I was confident I could reach the 8.3 mark at the games, which I thought should win me the gold. If I was at my best I could have won it because 8.22 won the silver.”
After losing out on winning gold in 1984, Alli won gold at other competitions, including the 1988 African Athletics Championships in Algeria, and the 1989 edition of the championships held in Lagos, where he set a new African record of 8.27 metres. He went on to win gold at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand and also won gold at the International Association of Athletics Federations Grand Prix in France in 1993.
His African record has since been broken and although he cherishes his achievement, he feels his collection would have been complete with an Olympic medal.
”It was painful to retire as one of the best without an Olympic medal to show for it.”
He said. ”I still look back to the 1984 Olympics as the dark spot in my career.”
Alli‘s first major competition was the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia. He was still a pupil of the St. Gregory‘s College in Lagos, studying the sciences. His experience at the games made him believe he could do better at long jump if he invested all his time in the sport. He was tempted to quit school but the principal would have none of it.
”I started preparation for the Olympics at the age of 18 but I was not aiming at winning gold,” Alli said.
”I thought I needed the experience and the games actually exposed me.
”I knew I could make a career out of athletics and that has kept me in the sport even after retirement.
”I wanted to take up athletics on a full-time basis but my school principal advised me against it. He drew up a programme to take care of my training preparation for my examinations which were fast approaching. He actually encouraged me to feature at the Olympics.
”I‘m happy I listened to him because I‘ve been able to rely on my education in life. It would have been a different story for me if I had not continued with my education. My life, career and my family have been centred on my education. I keep telling athletes that they must go to school and their parents must be involved in their development.
”I would have loved to become a medical doctor because that was my childhood ambition. But it turned out I can‘t have everything I wished for.
“In the United States, it would have taken me seven years or more to study Medicine. I thought I couldn‘t wait that long to take care of my family so I rejected the offer. And at the University of Lagos I would need a Credit Pass in O‘Level Physics before gaining admission. I didn‘t have the requirement so I opted for something else. I studied Sports Medicine instead because I wanted something that can be useful to sport.”
Alli retired from active sports in 1993 after featuring in four Olympic Games. He quit the tracks on a high, adding a Grand Prix gold to his collection before deciding to put his family before his career.
He enjoyed the support of his family throughout his career but he thought what he was earning as a sportsman was not enough to put food on the table for a long time. That was when he decided to pursue a career in sports administration.
”People might say I quit athletics too soon but I have a wife and kids whom I must feed,” he said. ”I have to put food on the table.
”Since retiring from the tracks, I have to rely on my education to take up the business aspect of athletics and that‘s what I‘m still doing.
”I enjoyed the support of my family right from the first day I went into sports. My parents supported my decision back then in secondary school and when I was setting the African record in Nigeria, they were at the venue to cheer me up. My wife was even at some international events to give me her support.”
When he was still active on the tracks, Alli had several opportunities to defect. He viewed the option as unpatriotic and as a move that would end in regrets.
He said, ”I don‘t regret not defecting like some of my colleagues did. Even though I did not realise my dream in the sport and not making a fortune in Nigeria, I believe one of my best decisions was to stay in the country.
”I think it‘s a man without patriotism and commitment to anything that will dump his country for another. When the money finishes, you are left with your country. I don‘t see money as the ultimate thing in a man‘s life. A man that thinks of money first will do anything to win and that includes taking performance enhancing drugs.
”I hate it when athletes take to drugs. I was a victim of drug cheats. In 1989, I came second (8.0m) behind Myricks (8.29m) at the World Cup but two weeks later he was caught for using a banned substance. Who knows, I could have won the competition if he had not cheated.
”With the number of talents we have in Nigeria, we should not be involved in drug controversies. The drug situation at the Commonwealth Games in India was just too embarrassing for the country. Out of four athletes caught for the offence, three were Nigerians. It‘s a shame to us as a nation. If I were the sports minister, I would place a life ban on the offenders.”
Although Alli would not see anything good in athletes engaging in drug use, he blamed the National Sports Commission for not motivating them enough.
He said, “Athletics is in a terrible state and the NSC should take most of the blame. We need to go back to school sports to get the talents from the grass roots. If this is not done, the future is bleak for Nigerian athletics. We must redirect our energy.
“We can copy the Jamaican system where athletics is integrated into the school system. They are benefitting from that policy right now.”
”Nigeria must also learn to celebrate their heroes. For instance, Olusoji Fasuba is experiencing a downturn in his career but the government can actually assist in rehabilitating him. A man that ran 9.86 seconds should not be ignored when he needs help. Something good can still come from him.”
Alli may have failed in realising golden ambition, he has realised he can achieve something equally big. He has discovered very young athletes for Lagos State and with his sight set on the 2018 Olympics, he hopes his wards will have attained their peak when they will feature at the games.
Source:http://www.punchng.com/
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