Annette Nneka Echikunwoke, the Nigerian-American athlete who holds the African record in hammer throw, won an Olympic silver medal for the United States on Tuesday after switching allegiance from Nigeria.
Echikunwoke missed the chance to compete in the hammer throw at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics due to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) failing to conduct the required drug tests for athletes.
“On my 25th birthday, I was officially informed that I cannot compete at the Tokyo Olympics due to the negligence of the federation I was set to compete for,” Echikunwoke shared on Instagram in July 2021.
“I can’t even begin to explain how heartbroken I am. It honestly feels like a fever dream. To think of all the hours of throwing sessions, hundreds of hard lifts, all the moments when my body aches in pain and reminding myself ‘it’ll be worth it’, just to keep pushing on, sacrificing time with loved ones… and all I’m left with is this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. This has been the most mentally and emotionally exhausting time of my life.
“To be clear: The [Athletics] Federation of Nigeria did not go through the processes to set up proper testing for us athletes. They left us in the dark about this whole drug testing issue until the last minute where we were left helpless. We cannot let anything like this happen again to athletes, devastating dreams and crushing opportunities.”
On May 22, 2021, at the USATF Throws Festival in Tucson, USA, she set a new African record with a hammer throw of 75.49 meters.
Echikunwoke had provided her whereabouts to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) six times as required, but no one from the federation showed up. Other athletes who faced the same issue in 2021 included jumper Ruth Usoro, thrower Chioma Onyekwere, and sprinters Chidi Okezie, Favour Ofili, Tima Godless, Yinka Ajayi, Glory Patrick, Rosemary Chukwuma, and Knowledge Omovoh.
Source: FIJ
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