Nigeria’s Olayinka Olajide fought back tears after her Commonwealth Games women’s 200m race ended in the semi-finals on Thursday. She admitted that injury and not preparing well for the event made it even harder.
Olajide finished seventh in her semi-final, clocking 23.79 seconds. Adaejah Hodge from the British Virgin Islands won the race with a Commonwealth Games record of 22.01 seconds. Jamaica’s Ashanti Moore followed closely in 22.49 seconds.
Speaking to reporters right after the race, the emotional Nigerian sprinter shared that she had been competing in pain and thought about pulling out. But she decided to push through.
“I’m not actually in a very perfect shape because my hand is quite disturbing me. I wanted to pull out, but I’m a type of person that doesn’t give up,” she said.
Though she felt disappointed with her result, Olajide mentioned that the experience taught her a lesson about listening to her body and trusting her coach’s guidance.
“I started this season on a very good note. But because I didn’t listen to myself and I didn’t listen to my coach back in Texas, because he wanted me to have a full-time rest, I didn’t give myself that grace,” she explained.
She admitted it was hard to hide her feelings after the race but was determined not to let this setback define her season.
“I’m going to say six out of 10. I’m not really, really okay. I already promised myself that I’m not going to cry about this,” she added.
Olajide also revealed that running the 200m was not her original plan for the Games. She traveled to Glasgow expecting to focus on Nigeria’s 4x100m relay team.
“They told me I was coming here to run the 4×100, so it was when we got here that they said I was going to run the 200. Because of my injury, I never prepared for the 200. I’ve always prepared for the 100 metres,” she said.
She pointed out that she did not even contest the 200m at Nigeria’s national trials, which made the race a new challenge for her.
Still, after talking with her coach, she decided to take on the opportunity.
“When I told my coach about it, he said he would like me to run an individual event for experience. He said, ‘You’ve come all the way to the Games.’ So I wanted to take something home, and that was why I decided to agree to run the 200,” she explained.
Even with her exit, Olajide is still available for Nigeria’s sprint relay team. Team Nigeria continues to compete in athletics in Glasgow.
Her determination to compete despite her injury shows the fighting spirit that has defined Nigeria’s performances at the Games. Nigeria remains the highest-ranked nation in Africa and continues to win medals in various events.
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