As African heavyweight boxing champion Olaitan Adam Olaore don dey reason di start of im Olympic career.
Di 22-year-old get one clear role model wey e dey follow wella to make am, di two time world champion, Anthony Joshua.
Dem get connection say dem come from Nigeria and dey England, Olaore don already win one of di early titles, di London 2012 gold medal, wey Joshua bin win earlier for im career.
Olaore wey dem born for Lagos for 2002, bin follow im family go England for di age of six. E win di English National Amateur Championships last year. Like how Joshua wey also start school for Nigeria, do bifor am.
Im family bin first settle for London bifor dem come find area wey cheap and calm pass, dem move go Newcastle for 2014.
But even though im don dey UK for 15 years, wen Nigeria call am last year, Olaore choice bin no hard at all.
E tell BBC Sounds’ Paris: Grassroots to Glory say, “I neva get my British passport so I be resident but I no be British citizen.”
“To fit box for Great Britain, I need to wait small but boxing na young man game so you no know how long you get. We get opportunity for short notice to represent Nigeria wey di whole team tink say na di way to go.”
Olaore become African champion from im first international competition.
No Nigerian boxer bin compete for Tokyo 2020, but Olaore bin qualify for Paris 2024 by last September and den also win di African Games title dis year.
Im achievement get more weight wen you reason am say di only reason e become heavyweight na bicos di International Olympic Committee bin comot im preferred lighter weight division.
Meet di first black African to win Olympic gold medal
Great expectations
Nigeria bin win dia first eva Olympic medal from boxing for 1964 and by 1996, dem don get anoda five, but since den, dem neva add to di total.
E bin find di sport wen e be 14 years old wen im and im friend just dey waka up and down from boredom and dem come see one boxing gym. And di more im trophy collection bin grow, na di more im self-belief follow grow.
“Wen I win my first youth national championship four years ago, no be only me just dey tok am – e really be reality becos I bin don perform and succeed for national level,” e explain.
“I dey confident – my reach, my speed, my calmness for ring. I always believe say calm fighter fit weather any storm. Most fighters dey bring ‘rough weather’ to you, so if you dey calm enough, worries no dey.”
Olaore turn youth champion at di age of 17, six months afta e start to do regular sparring for one gym near Newcastle.
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Olaore first meet di coach wey bin mentor am for seven years, Richard Stoneham for Howdon Boxing Academy for Newcastle.
Na dia e bin compete for 12 fights and two national finals for im first full season season as amateur.
Olaore come move to di Empire School of Boxing for Blyth, wia e train under Stoneham and head coach Les Welsh.
African adventure
Olaore bin fight for cruiserweight, wey be di division between light heavyweight and heavy weight, till April 2023, wen e move up to win last year African Boxing Championships for di Cameroon capital of Yaounde.
One month later, Olaore dominate for Africa Olympic qualifiers for Dakar as im beat opponents from Ivory Coast, host nation Senegal, Morocco and Algeria to make sure Nigeria get male boxer for di Games for di first time since 2016.
For March, Olaore win di third African crown wen im become di African Games heavyweight champion in Ghana.
Di games don help am to come im home continent.
Olaore say, “I don come back some times in di past year and see family, e mean a lot to me and dem.”
Olaore wey dey call imself “hunter”, don dey hala say im wan win Olympic gold even bifor im qualify for Paris.
E say, “I no wan look too far ahead bicos you fit trip ova di hurdle wey dey your front.”
Di Northumbria University graduate in sports science add say, “So I go continue to focus for di Olympics and see wetin dey come afta and den I go focus to be professional afta.”
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