Senior African Athletics Championship: Chidi Okezie eyes podium finish ahead of men’s 200m final

By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye in Accra

One of the most experienced athletes in Team Nigeria to the Senior Africa Athletics Championship, Chidi Okezie, has assured Nigerians that he is in the men’s 200m for a purpose, insisting that his aim is not just to compete but to put up a performance worth watching.

Okezie, whose specialty is the 400m, powered into the final of the event, adding that the 200m demands a very different mindset from the 400m, the distance he described as his “pride and joy.”

He explained that while the 400m requires patience, tactics and precision, the 200m is all about raw speed, a sharp start and a strong finish.

“200m is half the distance, but 400m is my pride and joy, so I take care because it’s technical,” he said. “In 200m it’s all out, more speed, a strong start and finishing strong. It’s a different type of race.”

Okezie stated that his motivation comes from the standard he sets for himself, as well as the belief that his journey is guided by a greater purpose.

“I’m here for a purpose, to give my best and to make sure my races are something everybody wants to watch,” he said.

“What keeps me going is the expectation I have of myself, knowing that God has a purpose for me. It’s all coming together.”

The Nigerian also had some encouraging words to the younger athletes in the Team, urging them to remain disciplined and patient in their development.

“I just tell them to do what you do in training, do what your coach tells you,” he said.

“Some of them look up to me and I just tell them, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so you may have a bad race, a bad training session, it’s all part of that piece to a puzzle.”