My Olympic Dreams Are Over - Chukwumerije

Team Nigeria captain to the London 2012 Olympic Games, Chika Chukwumerije, is in a sad mood after he was eliminated from the global event in the preliminary stage of the men’s taekwondo event.

The soft-spoken Chukwumerije lost the men’s +80kg event 1-0 to Cuba’s Robelis Despaigne through an offensive point his opponent gained after about 90 seconds in the third and final period of their fight.

Both fighters had failed to secure any point in the first two periods of their fight and the preliminary round fight was heading for a deadlock before the Cuban, who was the event’s number four seed, struck.

It ended Nigeria’s hope of winning a medal at the event, leaving Chukwumerije unhappy after intensive preparations before the London showpiece.

“The London 2012 Olympics has come and gone, and I lost in the preliminary round in a very tight affair,” Chukwumerije wrote in an email sent to our correspondent on Thursday.

“I have trained so hard these past three and a half years, and given my 100 per cent to my preparations, but alas it was not meant to be. My Olympic dream is over. And I am hurting badly inside.”

Chukwumerije was one of the major highlight of Nigeria’s participation at the Beijing Olympic Games four years ago, winning bronze medal- the country’s first at the games- in the men’s taekwondo event as the country managed silver and three bronze medals.

Despite a reverse of fortunes four years later in London, the 28-year-old is not giving up on the future.

“The future before me is vast and bright and I will always continue to dream big and have hope and faith in my ability to turn my dreams in reality. Thus, I will turn my eyes to even loftier heights and continue to work hard to achieve other dreams.”

Chukwumerije first came into limelight when he won bronze in the men’s heavyweight category at the 2003 All Africa Games on home soil.

He finished in 11th place in the men’s +80kg event at the Athens 2004 Olympics after he was defeated in the preliminary round by eventual bronze medallist Pascal Gentil of France.

At the 2007 All-Africa Games in Algiers, Chukwumerije won gold in the +80 kg class before his bronze medal feat in Beijing.

At last year’s All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique, he won a silver medal while his elder brother, Perez, who captained Team Nigeria at the games, won the gold medal in the men’s -77kg event.