Nigerian high jumper and national record holder Temitope Adeshina talks about her journey into athletics and the pains of missing out on the final of the event at the Paris 2024 Olympics in this interview with ABIODUN ADEWALE.
How did you begin your journey into athletics, and what inspired you to focus on the high jump?
My journey into the high jump started with the Baba Ijebu Inter-School Athletics Championships around 2014 and 2015. I made it from the inter-school level to the district level, where I was second behind Esther Isa. That was also where and when my coach, Kola Adebayo, discovered us. He said we were tall and asked if we were interested in training with his athletes. He gave us his number then, but unfortunately, I lost my phone and couldn’t reach him. After the competition, everyone went back to their schools, and I began to go to the stadium. I schooled in Badagry, Lagos State, so I only went to the stadium on weekends. I was training in the evening, and unknown to me, coach Kola Adebayo was training in the morning. In the absence of coach Kola, I met coach Adu, Ruth Usoro’s coach, and started sprint training with him. However, I was a bit lazy in that, and he told me he was going to introduce me to a high jump coach who turned out to be coach Kola. That was how I reconnected with coach Kola, and I began to train specifically in the high jump. From there, I went to more school competitions, and gradually, I started competing at meets and national events in Nigeria.
The Olympics have come and gone. What’s the greatest lesson you learnt from your first outing at that level?
The Olympics have taught me not to wait for anybody. You just have to do what you need to do because eventually, nobody celebrates failure. If you win, that is when you will be celebrated. Nobody wants to roll with a loser. That’s the greatest lesson I got from the Olympics, even though the will to merely make it there is what most of us take as solace. But for me, it’s one thing to be an Olympian; it is another thing to be an Olympic medallist. So, we go again next time in LA 2028.
What was on your mind when you stepped out to compete?
When I first stepped onto the purple track inside the Stade de France, I was like, ‘Wow, this is a dream come true.’ Of course, there are still many other dreams, but that was special. From the time that I qualified, throughout my camping and eventual journey to Paris, I had nursed the feeling of becoming an Olympian, and I felt it the moment I stepped out to compete.
The bronze medal-winning mark was 1.95m, and your season’s best, which qualified you, was 1.97m. How did you feel about that, having not made the final of the event?
After the qualifiers, I felt bad that I couldn’t reach the final. And believe me, I gave it my all. During the final, when I saw that the bronze medal winning mark was 1.95m, I felt bad all over again because my season’s best, which qualified me for the Games, was 1.97m. I got to my room that day and cried. Honestly, I tried my best because I had a very long season.
Overall, Nigeria returned without a medal, and some Nigerians will blame the athletes for the poor outing. How disappointing was that for you?
As much as people demand from us as athletes, we demand more from ourselves too. I push myself beyond limits. The Olympics come up once every four years, and it’s not even easy to qualify in the first place. No athlete will take the sacrifices involved for granted. It was a low moment for me and all of us.
How did you prepare for the games, and what were the challenges you faced?
I prepared so hard because it was a dream I wanted to fulfil. Before the NCAA nationals, I checked the rankings, and I saw that I was Paris-bound, being in 25th place in the world. So, I was like, ‘Let me give myself a breather from competing and focus on training for the Olympics.’ Weeks later, my ranking had dropped from 25 to 33. When I called coach Kola Adebayo, then he said if I qualified by rankings, Nigeria would not register me for the Olympics, so I needed to pick an automatic qualifying ticket so I would be sure of going to the Olympics. That woke my spirit, and there were just three competitions left before the end of the season; I was almost giving up on qualifying for the Olympics. So I went for the NCAA nationals, and the big jump (1.97 m) came, and it got me straight to Paris and became a new national record as well.
How does it feel to hold the national indoor and outdoor records in the women’s high jump?
Holding both records feels great. Coach Adebayo usually said if I believed in myself, it would happen, and it did. I was so excited because I wasn’t expecting the results to come so soon. I always knew the results would come too, and I am proud of my achievements so far. Last season is one to remember for me, and I always want to look back to my first season in the NCAA and derive the inspiration to aim higher. Thanks to God, that is how it has been, all thanks to my sports mother, Doreen Amata, and my coaches in Nigeria and college as well.
How is your relationship with the former national record holder, Doreen Amata?
Dorren Amata has been like a mother to me since I started the high jump. She bought me my first high jump spikes as well. From the first time I met her, she has always monitored my progress. She was very sad about my performance at the Olympics and called me on the phone as soon as I finished my event.
How has it been combining academics with competition, and how is the NCAA impacting your career?
It’s not easy. I leave the house as early as 7 am and am at school before 8 am for classes, practice, assignments, exams, and competitions. I almost gave up the idea of studying. The impact of the NCAA has been immense. Aside from when I was discovered in Nigeria, joining the NCAA is another big step in my career because back home, there is little or no facility. The high jump bed I used in training in Nigeria is like what they use in the room. Imagine landing badly on one of those; you will feel your body touching the ground. So, coming here is a big step that has improved my career. To God be the glory, I won about four awards in my first season as well, and I’m ranked 18th in the world. By the time I start competing again, the only way is up.
You once competed in the 100m hurdles. Why did you leave the event?
I didn’t abandon the 100m hurdles, but I had to stick to the high jump in school. My school even wanted me to run the 400m as well.
What are your targets for next season and other major competitions ahead?
Going to the Olympics is a great experience, and my target at the World Championships next year is to return with any type of medal. Any medal would do. The long-term plan is also to be at the Commonwealth Games in 2026 and the next Olympics as well, of course, as a medallist. In terms of performance, I had hoped to jump 2m before the end of this season, which ended with the Olympics, and I wish I did that on the global stage too. The target is to jump 2.05 m. I have 3 cm more to make 2m, and I will double the effort to jump 2.05m.
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