Nigerian hurdler, Gloria Alozie explains her defection to Spain

W hat actually inspired you to take to coaching after a successful career in Athletics?
Honestly, athletics has been my life all along and the only way I can keep up with what gives me happiness is to move into coaching. Apart from the fact that I have always loved to give back to Nigeria, after I realized the downward trend of athletics in the country, I have always wished to be a coach after retirement. I never knew Nigerians were so hurt by my defection even though I consider  the whole thing as nothing special, because I did what I did for the sake of my career then. I really want to find a way of giving back to Nigeria, so it was why I realized  then that if  I end my running career , I will have to be a coach; thank God I am realizing my dream now.

Are you saying that the essence of your delving into coaching is to help revamp athletics in Nigeria as a way of healing the wound that trailed your defection to Spain?
Well, I don’t really have a problem with coming back home to help, after all Nigeria still remains my home, irrespective of the country I ran for during my active days. I have always returned to Nigeria and had lots of discussions with the officials of Nigeria Athletics Federation (AFN) on the way forward for the sports in the country. I realized that Nigeria no longer command regular respect in athletics unlike in the nineties, because most of our athletes are not getting the right kind of support needed to win laurels. There are times I had to put in a word for Nigeria to partake in some international programmes that could be of great benefit for AFN. I still love this country and the fact that I ran for Spain cannot change that. Just as I said; I don’t have a problem with coming back home to help athletics but the initiative has to come from the authorities. I don’t have to beg for it. It is the AFN that knows where their shoe pinches; they really know where I can be of much benefit to them. I am ever ready to serve Nigeria again in the capacity of coaching.

Athletics pundits have said that you actually took the glory of 100 meters hurdles with you when you left for Spain; Nigeria’s  constant efforts to reproduce another Gloria Alozie  went up in flames. What is your take on this?
I won’t really say that Nigeria lacks the right talents to step into my shoe. I  actually  had the  opportunity to train under a very good coach here in Valencia, Spain, even when I was representing Nigeria back then. I also had the opportunity to train with top facilities and training alongside top athletes then, really prepared me well for international challenges then.  Even before I moved to Spain, there were lots of athletics classics and school sports competitions in place then, but all of that is in the past now. I heard that AFN now gives athletes grants to enable them prepare for major tournaments, but even as good as such gestures are, I don’t think giving out money to athletes is the right step  in the right direction, it is important we put lots of structures in place if Nigeria is to return to athletics. School sports should be restored while local classics should be brought back. Our athletes need lots of encouragement to perform. If I could run that fast, I believe other athletes can do better, if given the right training. In my days in Nigeria, I remembered I started with the classics and we usually run in all competitions monthly. I don’t think all of that is still in place now. We train mostly for competitions and that keeps us in top shape  but  what I got from a reliable source back home, is that athletes just train without participating in any major competition except when World Championships or Olympics draw near. The Jamaicans  train for major competitions in Europe and the more competitions you feature in, the better for such  an athlete’s exposure.

Your last race was in the 100m hurdles finals in the Sydney Olympics, only few Nigerians knew that would be your very  last race for the country. What really went wrong Gloria?
(Pause). There is a lot attached and what people see at face value is much different from the truth behind my defection. Before that race in Barcelona, lots of Nigerians expected the gold and even the performances  of other athletes really gave everyone the right belief that Gloria was going to nick the gold medal, but a lot went wrong before that race. Considering the emotional breakdown I had before the Olympics, I was not in the right frame of mind to win the gold medal. A lot was going through my mind, I just lost my husband to be in a terrible autocrash and I had to run again in the final, which was too much for me to bear. Considering the fact that I passed through a lot during that period after the death of my fiancé, it was God that gave me the strength to run at the Olympics. I almost pulled out of the games because the trauma was too much for me to bear, but for those who stood by me and talked me into participating at the Sydney Olympics, I would have pulled out. I was contented with the silver because great athletes with the right frame of mind featured in that finals and they couldn’t even win a medal. It took God’s grace to have qualified for the final considering my emotional  state at that time.

We heard that the death of your fiancé,  Hyginus Anugo (who was a 400m runner) in an autocrash actually triggered your exit. The truth must be told on the reason why you had to dump Nigeria for Spain, Nigeria are still aggrieved over your decision and the popular feeling is that you still owe them explanation?
Yeah, a lot of things have been said on my moving on to run for Spain but there was more to it than what some people think. Although I went through a lot when my fiancé died and was frustrated and encountered a difficult time taking his corpse home. The Athletics Federation of Nigeria never called a press conference after his death or showed any form of care. I felt abandoned and still went on to run at the Sydney Olympics,  where I came second on that fateful day of September 30, 2000. But in all honesty my fiance’s death was not the major reason for my defection, whatever happened, I did it just to  improve my career. When I came to Spain, I saw life from a different perspective. It was then I decided that I had to take a drastic decision if I must excel in my career as an athlete. I made up my mind that the only way for me to achieve my goal is to become Spanish. I did it because of my future even though lots of people read meanings to it. It was not an easy decision for me as a Nigerian, but what must be done has to be done. I never knew my defection would cause Nigerian heartache, I just felt it wasn’t a big deal after all. I have lived in Spain long enough to know its culture, besides, my club is in Spain, so I never saw my defection as a big deal until I was told how Nigerians reacted. It is now that I try to put Nigeria first in all I am doing here in Spain, when I realized how painful it was for people to take it.

A lot of people have described your support towards the AFN in terms of international recommendation of the federation as medicine after death, they felt your fiancé’s death shouldn’t have made you abandon your country.
Whether it is medicine after death or not, my decision was not borne out of what I suffered from the federation after Anugo’s death, there was nothing more to it; I just took the decision to salvage my career and nothing more. Honestly, I never knew it will hurt Nigerians. It was important I acquire Spanish nationality to secure my future. A lot of people said I went to Spain for the money, well if I needed money I would have opted for an oil rich country like Qatar, but money was not the driving force behind my defection. My defection never turned me to a millionaire, I still work to survive.  It’s been tough here in Spain combining family with career, unlike Nigeria where you have your mother to help you look after your kids, the case is different here.

Spain is known for its racist record, how did the people receive you when you finally became a Spanish citizen?
Wow! I was well received by the people. I was given everything I needed to excel in my career and there was no occasion when a racist’s comment was made towards me. I think Nigeria need to take good care of her athletes so that you don’t lose them to these oil-rich nations.
Your vision for Nigerian  athletics
I still have passion for Nigeria despite leaving the country, I still prefer Nigeria to any other nation. I still communicate with AFN officials and tell them how well I would like to serve the nation in any capacity. I really want to give back to the country if called upon.

Meaning that if you had the chance to turn back the hands of time, you wouldn’t have dumped Nigeria for Spain if you knew it would be blown out of proportion?
Well, it really was not that I did it to hurt people but  for the sake of my career, I never knew it would give people a bad impression of me. I don’t really have any problem with people each time I return to Nigeria on holiday, I still get along with people after all Nigeria is still my country, the Nigerian blood still runs in my veins.

What are  your thoughts on the rising profiles  of Blessing Okagbare and Damola Osayomi?
I really commend them for representing us well at the international stage, I believe Blessing and Damola  have  what it takes to win medals at the London Olympics. I believe they can make us proud at the Olympics this year.

Any regrets?
 No, I don’t have any regret in my life. All I did then was to secure my future and nothing more, I never knew it would trigger lots of anger amongst Nigerians  but all of that is in the past now.

Thank you for talking to Complete Sports Saturday.

You are welcome.