Sade Olatoye laments lack of support after finishing 21st at Tokyo World Championships

Nigerian hammer thrower Oyesade Olatoye has voiced her frustration and resilience following her fourth outing at the World Athletics Championships, where she once again fell short of reaching the final.

Competing in Tokyo, Olatoye recorded a personal Championships’ best of 68.82m, placing 10th in Group A and 21st overall, well outside the top 12 required to advance.

Taking to her X (formerly Twitter) page, the 26-year-old shared a heartfelt message.

‘Tokyo World Champs finished 21st in the world. Highest finish at a major global championships outside of the African continent. Adversities, solo training w/o a coach is tough, but grateful for all the help I’ve received to get me here. God is with me. It’s up from here.’ she wrote.

Olatoye’s post highlights the challenges she’s faced, including training without a coach and limited support they get from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN.

This is a recurring issue for many Nigerian field athletes competing on the global stage.

Olatoye began her international career in shot put, finishing 26th at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. She moved to the hammer throw in 2022 in Oregon, placing 27th and 30th in Budapest in 2023.

Despite the setbacks, her Tokyo performance marks her best ever finish at a global championship.