Qatar 2019 IAAF World Championships: Oduduru eager to get family out of poverty

World’s fastest 200m sprinter in 2019, Nigeria’s Divine Oduduru has told IAAF.org that he is eager to take his family out of poverty.

The Delta State-born sprinter has his eyes set on mounting the podium at the Qatar 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha

“I’m definitely thinking of a medal (in Doha) and I’m working towards that goal,” explains Oduduru.

“My main wish it to get my mum and my family out of poverty,” he says. “I’m just really grateful to be given this opportunity,” he added.

Having grown up in a rural village of Ovworo near the town of Ughelli in Delta, Southern, Oduduru is keen on changing the fortune of his family through sports.

“Life was really tough. For everyone, it was a struggle to survive. We walked to and from school and some days I didn’t eat, I was starving. It is only when I came home to the farm I get something to eat like Garri (a flour grain).”

“I knew that I wanted to create a platform for myself and I was determined not to end up the same way as others,” he explains.

“This was a big motivation. I told my mum (Christiana) that I will not go to school in Nigeria and that someday I will travel. She always believed in my dreams.”

With his recent from lately, the 22-year- old is not lacking confidence going into any major championship.

Taking up a scholarship at Texas Tech has arguably proved the smartest decision of Oduduru’s athletics career so far. “I’m not going to lie,” he explains. “This has been the best part of my life so far. It is something I’ll never regret. It is a real privilege and opportunity to be allowed to run for Texas Tech.”

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Winning NCAA Indoor 200m silver in a time of 20.21 having earlier that season recorded a Nigerian indoor record of 20.18 filled Oduduru with a rising belief.