Captain of Team Nigeria at the last London 2012 Olympics,Chika Chukwumerije has said that there are no excuses to give, for Nigeria’s woeful performance at the Games.
Chukwumerije who competed for Nigeria, in the 80kg category Taekwondo event while speaking at a press conference in Lagos, said that he was deeply hurt with the results churned out by Team Nigeria at the Olympics.
“The pains of the Olympics are so fresh on our minds. Personally I am deeply hurt by the results,and so are 160 Million Nigerians” a sober Chukwumerije said.
Chukuwumerije who took the bull by the horns further said: “There are no excuses to be given,no blames to be shared,and no escape from the trauma of dashed hopes.”
It would recalled that the London 2012 Olympics was deemed as one Nigeria’s worst Olympics,after that of Seoul 1988 that Nigeria failed to win a single medal at the Games.
Nigerians heaped their medal hopes on the duo of Chukwumerije and Blessing Okagbare,who incidentally were both Captain and Vice-Captain of Team Nigeria at the London 2012 Olympics
“The hurt is real,and like when someone loses a loved one,we naturally ask questions in our state of anguish as to seek,to come to terms with harsh realities.”
“For me,I understand perhaps more than most,that scourging national pain that we all feel,yet at this period more than ever,we must come together and share this collective pain as one Nigeria,one country one people,” Chukwumerije entreated.
“We must come together to share a feeling which seems very unpalatable to digest,I am disheartened that my results fell short of the expectations Nigerians rightly had on me,” said Chukwumerije,who stated that he will not make excuses for his failure in London, but that he just had bad luck.
“The Joy and sorrow for me are two parts of a coin,and holding that coin together as one people,one Nation,will help us to heal better as we plan for a better tomorrow.” He added.
The Bronze medallist at the Beijing 2008 Olympics,refused to state if he would be available for the Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil,saying that after each Olympics,he takes three months off to reflect and know whether,he should be competing at the next Olympics.
But Chukwumerije went philosophical,citing an example of the Gold medallist at the Olympics in his category,who is 32 years of age. So with that example,we might by seeing Chukwumerije in Brazil,who by then must have had so much experiences to draw from.
