Divine_Oduduru

Divine Oduduru

Divine Oduduru

Nigerian sprinter

Ejowvokoghene Divine Oduduru (born 7 October 1996) is a Nigerian sprinter specializing in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash.[8] He holds personal bests of 9.86 seconds for the 100 m and 19.73 seconds for the 200 m. The latter is a Nigerian national record.[9]

Quick Facts Personal information, Full name ...

In age category competitions, he was a twice-champion at the African Youth Athletics Championships,[10] a five-time African Junior Champion in the sprints[11] and the 200 m silver medallist at the 2014 World Junior Championships.[12] He represented his country as a senior athlete at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2014 African Championships in Athletics, before winning 200 m silver medals at the 2015 and 2019 African Games as well as the 2018 African Championships.[13]

He is a two-time Nigerian national champion[14] and is a four-time NCAA champion in American collegiate competition, running for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.[15] He is sponsored by Puma.[4]

Career

Under-20 competition

He was the gold medalist in both the 100 metres and 200 metres at the 2013 African Youth Athletics Championships.[16] He was a finalist in the 200 m at the 2013 World Youth Championships in Athletics.[17] He won the 200 m at the 2013 African Junior Championships[17] and was also a member of the Gold medal winning 4 × 100 m relay quartet.[18] He successfully defended his 200 m title at the 2015 African Junior Championships and also added the 100 m and 4 × 100 m gold medals to his tally.[19] This made him a five-time African Junior Champion.

Oduduru became known for his interviews, with his interviews at the 2013 World Youth Championships in Athletics gaining popularity among fans, including his phrase 'deadly day'.[20][21] Memes and videos have been generated using his responses to journalists. He lamented the inadequate support for Nigerian athletes and made a plea for sponsorship during the 2016 Nigeria Championships.[22]

In 2014, he dipped under 21 seconds for the first time. He became the Nigerian National Champion in the 200 metres.[23] After setting a PB of 20.66 s in the semifinals at the 2014 World Junior Championships, he went on to win the silver medal in a windy 20.25 s behind Trentavis Friday of the US.[24]

Senior career

He led off the Nigerian 4x100 metres relay team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, a team supported by former American athletes, Monzavous Edwards and Mark Jelks, who were running for Nigeria in their first international relay.[25][26]

Due to illness, he pulled out of the 2015 Nigerian Championships and could not defend his 200 m title. He, however, bounced back for the All-Africa Games in Brazzaville. Oduduru ran a PB of 20.45 s into a headwind of 1.2 m/s to win the silver medal behind Ivorian sprinter, Hua Wilfried Koffi.[27] His team mate and 2015 Nigerian champion Tega Odele placed third. Oduduru was selected for the 200 m at the 2016 African Championships in Durban. After posting the second-fastest time in the semifinals, he did not run in the finals due to injury.[28]

At the 2018 Michael Johnson Invitational meet in Waco, Texas, Divine improved his personal best in the 100 m to 10.10 s, improving the Texas Tech school record by 0.01 s.[29][6] A year later at the same meet he improved his personal bests and set world-leading times of 9.94 s and 19.76 s, in the 100 m and 200 m respectively.[7] His time in the 200 m broke the national record of 19.84 s set by Francis Obikwelu in 1999.[30]

During 2019, he focused mainly on collegiate competition. He set a personal best in the 60-meter dash at the 2019 Big 12 Indoor Championships, running 6.52 seconds for the distance to win the regional title. He also won the 200 m Big 12 Indoor title.[31][32] At the 2019 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships he won the 200 m title and placed seventh in the 60 m final. At the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, he won the 100 m in 9.99 seconds, having broken the 10-second barrier for the first time at the earlier Michael Johnson Invitational meet. He also helped the Texas Tech Red Raiders to the 4 × 100 m relay title. At the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, he won a sprint double in the 100 m and 200 m, as well as taking third in the 4 × 100 m relay. His 100 m time of 9.86 seconds was the fastest in the world at that point of the season, and his 200 m time of 19.73 seconds was a championships record.[33]

Oduduru made his debut on the 2019 IAAF Diamond League circuit at the 2019 Herculis meet, but finished in last place.[8]

2023: Prohibited substance suspension

On February 9, 2023, Athletics Integrity Unit announced that Oduduru had been provisionally suspended for possession/use or attempted use of a prohibited substance (two potential Anti-Doping Rule Violations) in connection with the case of Blessing Okagbare, his compatriot banned for 11 years in 2022. Oduduru faces a six-year ban.[34] On October 12, 2023, the AIU gave him a six-year ban starting from February 9, 2023. All of his results from July 12, 2021 were disqualified. [35]

Statistics

Personal bests

More information Event, Time ...

Seasonal bests

More information Year, 100 metres ...

International competitions

More information Year, Competition ...

National competitions

More information Year, Competition ...
  • NCAA results from Track & Field Results Reporting System.[49]

See also

Notes

  1. [N 1]
    The team qualified for the final with Oduduru in the semis,[38] but he was replaced in the final with another runner; The squad that ran in the final finished 7th.[39]
  2. [N 2]
    The team qualified for the final with Oduduru in the semis, but he was replaced with another runner in the final; The squad that ran in the final finished first, earning the team gold medals.
  3. [N 3]
    The team qualified for the final with Oduduru in the semis,[41] but he was replaced with another runner in the final; The squad that ran in the final was disqualified.[42]
  4. [N 4]
    Qualified for the final, but did not start (DNS) in it.

References

  1. [1]
    "Divine Oduduru". texastech.com. Texas Tech Red Raiders. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  2. [2]
    "Divine Oduduru". pintaram.com. Asaba 2018. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  3. [3]
    "Divine Oduduru". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  4. [4]
    "PUMA signs NCAA 100/200 superstar Divine Oduduru + 100h world leader Janeek Brown to endorsement deals". letsrun.com. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  5. [5]
    Zahn, Jennifer (13 June 2019). "A Running List Of College Athletes Going Pro In 2019". flotrack.org. FloTrack. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  6. [6]
    "Tech sports roundup: Oduduru sets school record in 100 meters". lubbockonline.com. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  7. [7]
    Dede, Steve (22 April 2019). "Nigerian sprinter Divine Oduduru runs 2019 world fastest time in 100m and 200m". pulse.ng. Pulse (Nigeria). Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  8. [8]
    "ATHLETE PROFILE Divine ODUDURU". World Athletics. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  9. [9]
    "Nigerian athletes who could break Fasuba's 14-year-old African record". guardian.ng. 4 April 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  10. [10]
    Olus, Yemi (20 September 2016). "Nigerian Olympians Oduduru, Erayokan confirmed for Top Sprinter 2016". MAKING OF CHAMPIONS. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  11. [11]
    Ezekute, Nnamdi (21 April 2019). "Oduduru: I worked For My 100/200m Feats At Michael Johnson Invitational". Complete Sports. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  12. [12]
    Akani, Bambo (26 July 2014). "Oduduru wins 200m World Junior Silver with wind-assisted 20.25s, equalling 5th fastest Nigerians all-time!". MAKING OF CHAMPIONS. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  13. [13]
    Maduewesi, Christopher (14 May 2018). "Oduduru sets new 200m PB of 20.13s to win Triple titles in Texas". MAKING OF CHAMPIONS. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  14. [14]
    "Oduduru: I was frustrated with the AFN". TheCable. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  15. [15]
    "Team Visa welcomes Nigerian track and field sprinter Divine Oduduru to their Tokyo 2020 cohort". Pulse Nigeria. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  16. [16]
    "African Athletics » Nigeria's Oduduru all fired up for Ouagadougou next week". www.africanathletics.org. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  17. [17]
    "VIDEO: I worked for it and I got it, says world best sprinter Divine Oduduru". Punch Newspapers. 21 April 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  18. [18]
    "IAAF: Ethiopian and Nigerian athletes impress at African Junior Champs| News | iaaf.org". iaaf.org. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  19. [19]
    "IAAF: 5000m double for hosts Ethiopia at African Junior Championships| News | iaaf.org". iaaf.org. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  20. [20]
    IAAF Official (13 July 2013), WYC Donetsk 2013 - Ejowvokoghene Divine ODUDURU NGR - 200m Boys - Semi-final, retrieved 20 July 2016
  21. [21]
    IAAF Official (12 July 2013), WYC Donetsk 2013 - Ejowvokoghene Divine ODUDURU NGR - 200m Boys - Heat, retrieved 20 July 2016
  22. [22]
    MakingOf Champs (11 July 2016), "Nigerian Athletes are Suffering!" - Divine cries out to Sponsors to come to their rescue!!!, retrieved 20 July 2016
  23. [23]
    "Divine Oduduru, 200m World Junior Silver Medallist vying for African Crown!". Making of Champions. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  24. [24]
    "Day four report: TGI Friday for sprint fans – IAAF World Junior Championships, Oregon 2014| News". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  25. [25]
    "Glasgow 2014 - Ejowvokoghene Oduduru Profile". g2014results.thecgf.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  26. [26]
    "Results - Mens 4x100m Relay - Athletics - Glasgow 2014 - Commonwealth Games - BBC Sport". www.bbc.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014.
  27. [27]
    "IAAF: Kenya's 4x400m men finish off the All-Africa Games in style| News | iaaf.org". iaaf.org. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  28. [28]
    Olus, Yemi (9 July 2016). "Divine Oduduru storms to 200m title at Nigerian Trials in Sapele". MAKING OF CHAMPIONS. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  29. [29]
    Johanna Gretschel (23 April 2018). "NCAA Weekend In Review: Josh Kerr Sets NCAA Record, TeeTee Terry Breaks Out". flotrack.org. FloTrack. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  30. [30]
    Umunna, Isaac (22 April 2019). "How Divine Oduduru Broke Nigeria's Sprint Jinx". economywatchng.com. Economy Watch Nigeria. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  31. [31]
    Don Williams (23 February 2019). "Texas Tech men win Big 12 track title in a runaway". lubbockonline.com. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  32. [32]
    Jon Mulkeen; Bob Ramsak (25 February 2019). "Brazier clocks 600m world best in New York, Lisek and Kendricks clear 5.93m world lead in Clermont Ferrand: Weekend indoor round-up". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  33. [33]
    Jordon, Roy (2019-06-09). Oduduru blasts to 100/200 double at NCAA Championships, Holloway sizzles 12.98 . IAAF. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  34. [34]
    Dickinson, Marley (9 February 2023). "Four-time NCAA champion facing six-year ban for doping violations". Canadian Running Magazine. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  35. [35]
    "Athletics-Nigerian sprinter Oduduru banned for six years for doping violations". The Star. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  36. [36]
    "Full results of the 1st African Youth Championships". webcaa.org. Confederation of African Athletics. 31 March 2013. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  37. [37]
    "100 Metres Boys - Semi-Final" (PDF). IAAF. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  38. [38]
    "Medley Relay Boys - Round 1" (PDF). IAAF. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  39. [39]
    "Medley Relay Boys - Final" (PDF). IAAF. 14 July 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  40. [40]
    "Results 4 x 200 Metres (2 laps) Men - Round 1" (PDF). iaaf.org. IAAF. 3 May 2015. p. 1. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  41. [41]
    "4 x 100 Relay - Men - First Round" (PDF). African Games. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  42. [42]
    "4 x 100 Relay - Men - Final" (PDF). African Games. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  43. [43]
    "Men's 200m - Standings". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  44. [44]
    "African championships, Asaba (Nigeria) 1-5/08/2018". africathle.com. Africathle. 5 August 2018. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  45. [45]
    Gowon Akpodonor (29 August 2018). "U.S.-based sprinter, Oduduru spits fire, alleges neglect by government". guardian.ng. The Guardian (Nigeria). Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  46. [46]
    Bret Bloomquist (7 June 2019). "Oduduru leads Texas Tech track to first-ever men's NCAA championship". El Paso Times. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  47. [47]
    Roy Jordan (8 June 2019). "ODUDURU BLASTS TO 100/200 DOUBLE AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS, HOLLOWAY SIZZLES 12.98". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  48. [48]
    Tunde Eludini (8 June 2019). "Divine Oduduru becomes second fastest African, sets new Nigerian record". premiumtimesng.com. Premium Times. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  49. [49]
    "DIVINE ODUDURU TEXAS TECH". tfrrs.org. Track & Field Results Reporting System. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
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