Divine Oduduru
Oduduru is one of Nigeria’s most decorated young sprinters, having won medals at Youth, Junior and Senior levels for the country. He first came to continental reckoning at the 2013 African Youth Athletics Championships where he won Gold in the 100m and 200m respectively. In 2014 he won Nigeria’s only medal at the World Junior Championships in Oregon, USA, and then won the sprint double once again at the 2015 African Junior Championships in Ethiopia.
Oduduru’s first outing as a senior was at the 2015 African Games in Congo where he won a Silver medal in the 200m, which qualified him for the Olympic Games in Rio. Oduduru has not fared badly on the domestic front too. He upstaged the senior athletes to win the National 200m title in 2014, and reclaimed his Gold medal at the 2016 edition of the competition earlier this month.
Oduduru’s passion for Athletics is undeniable. As such, he has attained the unofficial position as an advocate for the development of the sport in Nigeria. The culmination of this was his heart rending appeal made during an interview with journalists at the Nigerian Trials, calling for corporate intervention in sports. His interview went viral, instigating Union Bank’s timely intervention to help rebuild the sports sector in Nigeria.
