I dumped athletics for taekwondo –AAG gold medallist Otuadinma

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Uzoamaka Otuadinma (arrowed), who won bronze at the 2014 Edinburgh Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships, got Nigeria’s only taekwondo gold at the 2015 All Africa Games. In this interview with ALLWELL OKPI, she speaks about her transition for athletics to martial arts and her targets in taekwondo

You got Nigeria’s only gold in taekwondo at the 2015 All Africa Games. How was it for you?

Winning the gold medal at the All Africa Games in Congo was the best moment of my life. It was my first time at the All Africa Games. I had won medals at other tournaments but none of them is as important to me as the All Africa Games gold. When I won it, I realised that there is a big difference between the All Africa Games and all the other tournaments I had participated in. I celebrated the gold as if it was an Olympic medal.

Before the Games, were you confident that you would win gold?

I wasn’t sure. But I prepared and I also prayed to God to help me and that was it.

You won bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships in Scotland. Wasn’t that tougher than the All Africa Games?

Otuadinma with other Nigerian female taekwondoists at the 2014 Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships, Edinburgh, Scotland

The All Africa Games was tougher than the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships. The opponents I faced in Congo were tougher than the ones I competed against in Scotland. The Egyptian I faced in the final at the All Africa Games was the toughest. We ended up going for the golden point; that means whoever scores first wins.

When did you start practising taekwondo as a sport?

I never really saw taekwondo as something I would seriously do. I just saw it as fun. In fact, I still see it as fun. I started practising taekwondo in 2012. But before that I was doing karate. I started karate in 2009. Nobody introduced me to karate. I just saw some people being trained in karate; dressed in the white uniform with belts of different colours. I loved it because it looked like what I used to see in Chinese movies. So I joined them. That was in Anambra State and they were being trained by the state karate coach.

Why did you switch from karate to taekwondo?

I switched because there was no karate at the Eko 2012 National Sports Festival, so I opted for taekwondo. I competed in the taekwondo event at that festival and I won gold. That was the second time I competed in taekwondo.

Does it mean there is no much difference between karate and taekwondo?

There are some clear differences between karate and taekwondo. In taekwondo, you don’t punch and score points but in karate, there is punching. In taekwondo, there is no point when you kick your opponent’s back, but in karate you can score points by kicking your opponent’s back. In taekwondo, you don’t sweep your opponent off the floor and score points, but in karate, you can sweep and fall your opponent and score points. These are the main differences. It wasn’t very easy to adapt with the differences between the two but I had to cope.

Did you take to martial arts because you of bullies?

No, I don’t engage in street fighting. I’m not that strong to fight outside. I do taekwondo for fun and not to fight anybody. We are trained not to fight outside. Taekwondo is not for street fighting.

What sport did you engage in as a child?

Growing up as a child in primary school and also in secondary school, I was doing well in athletics. I specialised in high jump, long jump and short put. I was winning medals in the competitions I participated in, representing my school. I attended Umuike Community Primary School, Ukpo and then I went to Girls High School, Ukpo in Nnewi South, Anambra State. After secondary school, I left athletics.

Why?

For me, there was no action there. I needed to kick some heads. That was why I joined taekwondo.

From then it was karate.

Yes, I competed at a lot of tournaments both in and outside the country, representing Delta State at most of them.

Do you have a coach?

I have been trained by different coaches over the years. The first coach that gave the foundation in martial arts was my coach in Anambra State. We call him Bossman. He taught me how to kick; how to stretch and how to position myself. That was before I joined Delta team under coach Aina. My first coach in taekwondo was Leonard Adoke, then John Victor, who is a national coach.

What is your biggest target in taekwondo?

I want to win a gold medal in the Olympics. I’m preparing seriously for it. Nigerians should pray for me. Now, I’m training to keep fit, with the hope that I will get the chance to participate in some competitions before the Olympics qualifier in Morocco in February next year. Participating in some international tournaments will really help me and my colleague to get ready for the Olympic qualifier and the Olympics.

Are you not aiming at becoming a taekwondo grand master?

No way. I will continue to improve on my taekwondo skills even after I win an Olympic gold in the sport but I don’t intend to take it to the level of becoming a grand master. No, that is not for me. I’m not planning for that.

Have you got a black belt?

Yes, just the first band. I don’t really need all those other bands; second band, third, fourth and so on. All I want is to compete and win. I might become interested in those ranks later but for now I’m focusing on competing and winning medals. I want to win quality medals for Nigeria. That is my ambition in taekwondo.

Apart from taekwondo, what else do you do?

I’m doing nothing else for now. I’m planning to go to the university next year.

What course are you planning to study in the university?

I want to study Sports Science.

Which university in Nigeria offers Sports Science?

I know that the University of Port Harcourt offers that course.

Does it mean you are looking forward to going into coaching when you retire?

No, I don’t want to coach. I don’t like coaching because I can’t teach. I don’t have the patience to coach. I don’t think I have the patience to continue with one athlete, who is not making enough efforts to get what you are teaching him or her. Maybe I might change my mind on that in the next few years but for now I’m not considering coaching at all.

What then do you intend to do with a degree in Sports Science?

I don’t know what I’ll do with it apart from using what I will learn to improve my performance in competitions. After that I don’t know what else will happen.

Would you like to get married to a fellow taekwondoist?

I will get married to whoever God wants me to get married to. When God says it is time to get married, I will get married. When God says it is time to quit taekwondo, I’ll quit. Right now, marriage is not in my mind at all. I know that at some point I will have to slow down, maybe when I get married and start bearing children.

Source: Punch