Oduduru says Rio Olympics an eye-opener

World Junior Championships silver medallist, Divine Oduduru, said on Monday that returning 7th in the 200m semi-finals of the Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil was an eye-opener for him.

Oduduru, who had a personal best of 20.34 seconds in Rio, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that he would win a medal at the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

“My next move after the 2016 Olympics is to work hard towards the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships and 2020 Olympics.

“I will put in my best to get better results in Japan. Believing in God, training hard and attending international competitions will boost my chances in 2020,’’ the sprinter said.

Reacting to how he felt running alongside his mentor, the 200m silver medallist at the 2014 World Junior Championships, Oduduru told NAN that it felt great competing with Usain Bolt.

“It was great running alongside Bolt, I was happy but I also knew that I had to compose myself because of my emotion,’’ said the silver medallist at the 2015 Africa Games in Brazzaville, Congo.

NAN also reports that Oduduru who has high hopes of being great in the sprints, said he hoped to surpass the world’s fastest man’s record someday.

The Delta-born athlete was discovered at the Dr D.K. Olukoya Championships, sponsored by the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry (MFM), Daniel Olukoya.

NAN reports that 20-year-old Oduduru is a five-time African Junior champion in 200m.

The Ughelli indigene said he would not disappoint his fans at the 2020 Olympics.