Chidi Imoh: Happy Birthday to the King of Sprints, whose birthday was on the day our sprinters failed and the World Championships ended
August 27, 2023, is a significant day for athletics buffs here and elsewhere. It was the day the Christmas of Athletes, the World Championships, ended in Budapest, Hungary. It was also the birthday of one the world’s greatest sprinter ever, Chidi Imoh of Africa. Sadly, on the birthday of the King of Sprints, Team Nigeria returned from Budapest without any of her sprinters making a podium appearance, Olukayode Thomas report.
Introduction
Call it bravery or brashness, a teenager calling himself the Chidi Imoh of Africa was probably over-ambitious then, or most probably he was a disciple of the Jew Seer Nostradamus and could see the future.
Imoh would have been forgiven then if he had called himself Chidi Imoh of Arochukwu, or of Abia State (then part of Imo State) or of Eastern Nigeria, or of Southern Nigeria, or of Nigeria, but Chidi Imoh of Africa, that must be wishful thinking? Or could it be self-indulgence? How can a young man arrogate to himself one out of seven continents?
Even men of timber and caliber then and those before and after that era were modest.
Our first Prime Minster Abubakar could have decided to be called Abubakar of Nigeria; no it was just Abubakar Tafawa Balewa the name of his village.
President Shehu was just Shehu Shagari; he limited himself to his village Shagari. Political firebrand and friend of the talakawas in the whole of Northern Region was just Aminu Kano, though a General in the Army, Hassan was just Hassan Katsina, and another General, Kenneth was just Kenneth Mininah, the name of his village.
But not Chidi Imoh a budding sprinter who wants to be called Chidi Imoh of Africa.
Oruko omo ni ro omo
A Yoruba adage that says, oruko omo ni ro omo (The name of a child shapes his destiny) aptly fits into what Imoh became while still a teenager.
On the road to becoming Chidi Imoh of Africa, Innocent Egbunike, unarguably Nigeria’s greatest athlete, recalled how Imoh announced himself to the athletics family in Nigeria.
Egbunike first got a whiff of what Imoh would do a few years later at the Bendel’81 National Sports Festival (NSF).
Before the festival, Egbunike was the clear favourite to dominate the short sprints (100m and 200m), “but I saw someone run past me to win the 100m, and the only thing I could say then was ‘who is this kid’. It was a huge upset, I never heard of him before then”.
That was how Imoh began his ascension and he rose from Chidi Imoh of Arochukwu to become Chidi Imoh of Africa.
After dominating the Nigeria scene the next port of call was the University of Missouri where he joined Yussuf Alli, Nigeria's greatest long jumper and record holder in the long jump.
At Missouri, Imoh set many records and later broke them. An inductee of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame like Alli, the university describes him as the greatest sprinter in the modern era of Mizzou athletics.
He was a seven-time NCAA all-American and won 11 conference championship gold medals during his career (1983-86). He was the national runner-up in the 100-meter dash in both 1985 and ’86.
He still holds school records indoors in the 55-meter dash (6.1) and outdoors in the 100-meter dash (10.0) and the 200-meter dash (19.9). His 10-flat 100 time was the best in the world in 1986. He competed in three Olympic Games (1984, ’88, and ’ '92) and was a member of Nigeria’s silver-medal winning 4x100m relay team in Barcelona, Spain in 1992.
He was the silver medalist in the 100 meters at the 1986 Goodwill Games, where he finished behind only Ben Johnson and ahead of Carl Lewis.
Imoh was the African champion in the 100m in both 1984 and ’85. He won Mizzou’s Bill Rawson Award in 1983 and the Tom Botts Award in 1986.
Not recorded in the school records are his other feats which include: winning 60 metres bronze medal at the 1991 World Indoor Championships.
In 1986 he posted the world-leading time for that year in the 100 metres. He won the 100 metres race in the 1987 All-Africa Games.
Innocent Egbunike on Chidi Imoh
Egbunike’s relationship with Imoh started as a co-competitor but both later became friends and brothers. Egbunike recalled how they met in 1981,
“We competed against each other at the Bendel ’81 National Sports Festival and Chidi defeated me in the 100m. ‘I ask myself, who is this kid’. I must confess I moved from the sprints to the quarter-mile because of Chidi because I couldn’t compete against him. I wish him a very happy birthday and a long life in good health and prosperity. One thing I can say about him is that even back then he was very dedicated, he knew what he wanted.
“When we won five gold medals at the World University games in 1983. I won the gold medal in 200m, Chidi won the 100m, Yussuf won the long jump, Ajayi Agbebaku won the triple jump, and Sunday Uti the 400m. That year, we shocked the world especially Americans who see sprinting as their domain, everybody was scared of Nigeria
“Americans and the whole world were scared of Nigeria. The song then was that ‘Nigeria is coming’ among all the world powers in athletics, several later years, Nigeria is still being expected. ’’
Egbunike recalled, “Sometimes we trained together – he had so many achievements on the track that I can’t recall all, at the Goodwill Games in 1986, he beat Carl Lewis, and he was second to Ben Johnson in 1985, In 1986 he ran 10.05 and at the Goodwill Games he ran 10.00 flat and that year he was the best in the world. He won the Grand Prix for three straight years. During the same period 1985/86, he broke the world record and set it again.
“Imoh bettered the world record for the 100-meter dash in the All Africa Games at Nairobi, Kenya, but officials said his time of 9.92 seconds would not be recognized because of an over-the-allowable wind. The record then was 9.93, set by Calvin Smith of the United States in 1983. Officials said he was aided by a wind of 4.4 meters per second. The allowable for record purposes is 2 m.p.s. He was great on the track very dedicated and committed”.
Team Nigeria Sprinters return empty-handed of King of Sprints Birthday
Since the birthday of the King of Sprints, Chidi Imoh of Africa was on August 27, the day the Christmas of athletes, the World Athletics Championships ended in Budapest, a befitting birthday present would have been a medal of any colour by our sprinters.
But to the disappointment of Imoh and millions of Nigerians who love athletics dearly, Nigeria failed to win a medal of any colour, and to make it worst for Imoh and lovers of sprint events, Nigeria did not even make it to the final in the 100m, 200m, 400, men and women, not even the four relays that we qualified for.
Following our failure in Budapest Imoh called on the leadership of the AFN to learn from the mistakes made and plan well ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Said Imoh on Channels TV “AFN needs to learn from the mistakes (in Budapest 2023) and priorities athletes’ needs, especially ahead of next year’s Olympics in Paris.”
Imoh wants Nigeria to assist Amusan, to regain her confidence to get back to the form that gave her the world record and gold medal in the women’s 100m hurdles at Oregon 2022.
“Now, AFN should be able to go in and ask her (Amusan) what she needs to be ready for the Olympics and invest in her so she can be ready and focus on the games rather than on commercial activities,”
He admits that divided loyalty between chasing money on the circuit and focusing on the Olympics are two different things.
“These things affected me in my time which was why in many of the championships; I wasn’t able to perform to the level I’m accustomed to. I was chasing money to take care of my family and do other things but if AFN can go in now and put resources on her, her mind can be calm and she can focus on training for the games,” observed the former sprint star.
He however berated the sports authorities in the country for ignoring sports at the grassroots over the years.
“Since I retired from athletics in Nigeria, AFN didn’t do good at all. They did not go back and produce athletes from the grassroots.”
Imoh also blamed the too much attention paid to football to the detriment of other sports.
“We wasted a full generation of athletes. I’m from Abia State and they don’t even have one track stadium, everything is football. Athletics is dying in Nigeria. It is time for Nigeria to put money into athletics so that young athletes can grow and be able to represent and lift the country.
“A small country like Jamaica is producing world-class athletes; smaller African countries are doing better than Nigeria in our strong area like the sprint and we call ourselves Giant of Africa? What is going on? “queried Imoh.
Sorry, Chihi Imoh, Team Nigeria didn't give you a befitting birthday present but from us, please accept our belated birthday greetings. Long life, good health, and prosperity to the Chidi of Arochuwku who became the Chidi of Africa.
PHOTO CAPTION: (L-R) Innocent Egbunike, Chidi Imoh, Ose Oyamendan renowned film producer,
and Olukayode Thomas at Little Ethiopia, Los Angeles, California.
PULL QUOTE: On the road to becoming Chidi Imoh of Africa, Innocent Egbunike, unarguably Nigeria’s greatest athlete, recalled how Imoh announced himself to the athletics family in Nigeria.
PULL QUOTE: An inductee of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame like Alli, the university describes him as the greatest sprinter in the modern era of Mizzou athletics.
