World Athletics C’ships: I don’t want to be sad again, says Enekwechi

.Targets medal in Stop Put final

By Akeem Lawal

NIGERIA and African record holder, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi has set his sight on winning the country’s first medal today when he competes in the final of the men’s Shot Put event at the ongoing 2019 World Athletics Championships holding at the multi-purpose Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

Sportsbiz247.blogspot.com reports that the 2019 African Games gold medalist threw a distance of 20.94m on his second attempt in the qualifying round to be among the best 12 performers to qualify and became the first Team Nigeria athlete to compete for a medal in Doha.

Speaking with on his expectations ahead of the finals, the 26-year-old said he does not want to have the same sad feelings he had on his World Athletics debut in London in 2017 again this year. 

“I was so sad in London, and the goal is not to be sad again. Sometimes there is negative reinforcement and it works out if you are matured about it.

“One important factor is that this is my first competition in about a month. So one thing I was worried about was maybe some rust. I know in any given day of the week, I can throw 21 plus but I have not competed in a while. So it took me a couple of time to get back into a competitive mode, the speed, the relaxation. But we are done.

“It is a great feeling to make it to the finals. I didn’t want to answer any bitter question and the best way to prevent that is to have a good performance and everything is positive. So I am way more relieved,” he told Athletics Africa after the event. 

The Nigeria’s shot put king said the even though his IAAF Diamond League debut in Rome back in June ended in disappointment, the experience gathered helped him at the ongoing championship.

“I think my experience at the Diamond League helped me. Unfortunately I was not quite ready for that meet and the Nigeria media finished me. I saw some headlines that were very embarrassing. So the goal has always been not to repeat something like that. Just being matured about it, go back to work. 

“Just like when I missed the Olympic Games in 2016, I didn’t cry about it. I just went back to work and the goal is to be at the 2020 Olympics. So I am a little bit easy on myself, I just want to go back to training, I don’t dwell on things. The same thing I had my first experience in Diamond League, it didn’t go as planned but I decided to continue to compete. That is the goal moving forward,” the African Championship record holder said.