Okezie: ‘I know what I need to fix, it’s time to get back to the drawing board’

Reigning African Games champion, Chidi Okezie says he knows what to fix to improve on his pre-African Athletics Championships after failing to get to the final of the 400m at the competition.

Okezie raced inside 45 seconds for the first time in his career about two weeks ago and the 30 year old was hoping to build on that at the 23rd African Athletics Championships in Doaula, Cameroon but wishes have refused to be horses for the former USA junior international.

In Douala, Okezie ran 45.96 to come fifth in his semifinal heat but it was not enough to get him into the final of an event in which he won a bronze medal six years ago at the 21st edition of the Championships.

The Nigerian hero at the World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas in May took to his Facebook page to express his disappoint with a promise to fix things ahead of the Olympics.

‘Sometimes, you have to be uncomfortable. You can’t be afraid of challenges. This time, the challenge has defeated me, lol. This Africa trip taught me a lot about my body and my mental toughness.

‘After running a PR and qualifying for the Olympics, I was on top of the world. That quickly changed when I ran my slowest races of the year at Nigerian Championships and then failed to qualify for the African Championships final finishing 9th by .008.

‘Although I was down about my performances, I know what I need to fix. It’s time to get back to the drawing board. Remember, God makes no mistakes.’