Coach Chris Onwuzurike, father of Nigeria’s 200m star Udodi Onwuzurike, has explained why the sprinter missed the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) National Trials in Lagos earlier this month.
Onwuzurike was one of the foreign-based athletes that failed to show up for the National Trials held August 1–3 at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.
The 22-year-old, who won gold for Nigeria in the men’s 200m at the 2021 World U-20 Championships in Nairobi, is currently in Zurich preparing for one of the biggest races of his career, the 2025 Wanda Diamond League Final, where he will line up against Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, the Olympic champion.
It will be a reunion of sorts. Onwuzurike famously beat Tebogo to the U-20 world title in 2021, but since then the Botswanan has risen to global dominance, including a historic gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Zurich offers the Nigerian another chance to test himself against the very best.
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Speaking in an interview with The Guardian from the United States, Coach Onwuzurike revealed that a travel document mix-up kept his son from competing in Lagos after an earlier meet in Europe.
“He returned to the U.S., and his coach quickly arranged his flight ticket to Lagos. He left for the airport with his American passport and forgot to take his Nigerian passport along, and they stopped him from flying to Lagos,” he explained.
“We live in another city, and before we could make arrangements to take his Nigerian passport to him, it was too late. I even drew the AFN president’s attention to it by sending proof of his flight ticket. My son won’t run away from National Trials.”
The coach also praised Udodi’s progress this season after battling injury setbacks that slowed him down in 2023.
“To make the Diamond League final is a great achievement. I am pleased with Udodi’s level of determination to make big headlines in track and field despite the challenges he has passed through since last year.”
Coach Onwuzurike used the opportunity to call on the Federal Government and the AFN to invest in his son as Nigeria looks ahead to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
“One message I want to pass to our Federal Government is to invest in Udodi ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics. Both the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the AFN should believe in his ability to deliver good results on the big stage. My son is just 22 years old, and this is the right age for athletes that Nigeria need to invest in ahead of the Olympics.”
The coach also reminded Nigerians of the sacrifice Udodi made to represent the country.
“Udodi is a Nigerian/American citizen. In 2021, he decided to switch allegiance to Nigeria instead of representing America, and he should be appreciated. Some people may be thinking that Udodi decided to switch allegiance to Nigeria because he could not make the American team. No. That is not correct because my son had proven his great skills even before he won the 200m gold with a record at the 2021 World U-20 Championships. The following year, he emerged champion in the NCAA.”
He further stated that his triumph at the NCAA where in emerged the 200m champion in 2023 before turning pro was no fluke.
“Some of the athletes he defeated at the NCAA are the ones dictating the pace in both the 100m and 200m at the World stage now. The good thing is that Udodi has recovered fully because this is the first time he is competing at long length without any form of injury,” he added.
The family is now waiting for final confirmation from World Athletics on whether Udodi will make the list of athletes for the World Championships in Tokyo later this year.
For now, the spotlight is on Zurich, and a duel against Tebogo that could reignite one of African sprinting’s most exciting rivalries.
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