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Multiple Paralympics gold medalist, Esther Onyema, cries out: People conspired to harass me with drug ban

Esther Onyema is one of the best special athletes Nigeria ever produced; she is a recipient of Member of the Order of Niger award but she told AJIBADE OLUSESAN she has found out that staying at the top is tougher. Excerpts…

Nigerians got disturbing news some time ago that you were banned by the international body for four years for taking a banned substance; how have you been faring?

It was a shock for me, because I was asking myself where did this come from? I can’t imagine myself taking that in a local competition, the ban was a shot to my bone but I know I would be fine.

You have claimed innocence but have you been able to appeal the judgement?

Yes, they asked me to appeal but, you know Nigeria, this system does not favour some of us; most competitions we attended, we would go and come back without payment, even when they pay it is usually not enough. They asked me to appeal the judgement but the truth is that I don’t have the money to appeal and even when I tried to make effort, they said if they want to make the appeal I would have to go for the second sample and I have to go to Germany on my own. So, in Nigeria nobody is bothered to stand and say ‘we want to fight for this lady.’ So, I just decided to leave it for God and let the will of God be done.

It is easy to deny taking the steroid; but truthfully how did they find the substance in your system?

I did not take any banned drugs, that is the truth. I went to a medical personnel, one of my friends, I asked him about my case, he was shocked to hear that they found 19 testosterones in my system. 19, not one, not two, but 19. He said that is impossible. I said well, I don’t have anything to say because even during that period I travelled to Australia we came back, from Australia to Algeria, we were even planning to travel to France before they told us that there was no funds for us to travel but notwithstanding as a national athlete because in any competition you go they will test us, check our urine before the competition time, because the first day, the second day, the third day if they couldn’t find anything in you that means you are cleared. But this one was after six whole months before they called me and said that they sent me an email and I should go and check my result. In fact, for good one year I always said I was innocent, even when they called me and put me through to the Doctor that I should accept that I did this, so I can allow them take their decision, I insisted I didn’t do it.

Do you suspect any conspiracy against you?

I believe it is a conspiracy; because before God and man I did not do such. Because in the period of that competition, the festival that was held in Abuja December, 2020 then the following month which was January we were having the competition where they said I took he steroid. I have been asking myself how did this come about? When did I do that? So, I will allow the will of God to be done because I know God w i l l speak for me; they just want to use it to tarnish my image because I know they are just harassing me.

So how have you been fairing since then, has anyone from the federation or the sports ministry reached out to you?

Nobody at all, but I know that is how life is; when you are in problem, you are on your own.

Anyway, many Nigerians know you as world, Commonwealth, African, and of course national champion, but they want to know how you started your career?

There were lots of challenges before I started doing the sport but the way I started was funny. I went to a birthday party; one of my friend’s birthday party who now lives in London; So, when I got to the party, she said ‘ look at your shoulder, you have a very nice shoulder, your hand is okay and I believe you can do powerlifting; I asked her “what is powerlifting?” So she now demonstrated it for me, then after the demonstration, she asked me to come to the stadium the next day, that’s how we started and then when I started it was like a joke. One thing about life is determination. I love the game and I really put all my efforts because I saw they were doing well and traveling with it. So I said “wow, let me train and become one of them”, that’s how it started. I started training for about five months and two weeks, then I made it to the national team. I love the game with p a s – sion, it’s not because of anything, I love the game, you know, putting all your efforts.

Before you started the game, what were you thinking of doing or what were you doing?

I was in school; as a student my daddy was annoyed, he was like I am a special child I want you to finish secondary school and become somebody in the future, but along the line my father died so that was how there was nobody to cater for me because I’m from a polygamous home. My mother was just a petty trader and couldn’t sponsor my education. So from there, I started.

So you actually stopped schooling along the line?

Yes, I finished my secondary school and got admission into UNIBEN, before I started having problems, that was how I dropped out of school to start taking care of my mother with the little money I’m getting from the sport.

Do you mean if your dad was still around, you’d probably not venture into powerlifting?

Yes, I would do both together. There will be comfort for my education, so my powerlifting doesn’t disturb me from going to school, it doesn’t disturb me from doing anything, it doesn’t take anything away from me, it’s just after school I’ll go there, when there’s a competition I will go for the competition, come back and go to school. But there was no support that was why I dropped out of school.

If not powerlifting what would you have been doing?

I would have been a working-class person by now.

Okay what was your first competition like, as you said you trained for five months close to six months, then you went straight to the national team?

The year 2000 National Sports Festival was my first tournament; it was in that first competition I became a national athlete, my first outing.

That means just six months after you started doing the sports, you attended National Sports Festival for which state?

Edo State, that’s where I started.

So how was your first competition like?

My first competition was like wow. When I got there because we were trained for it, there was somebody there before me, the person was an African champion, there were a lot of challenges, they were telling me if you don’t do this if you don’t that you’ll not be invited for the national team. I was putting all my efforts, trying to be the best to come out with flying colours, and really when the time of the competition came, I defeated the person who was the African record holder and she ended her career shortly after.

From there you went to the national team, so how was your experience with Team Nigeria?

There were a lot of challenges there; because it’s not the way they train you at home they’ll train you there; there are a lot of differences, technical differences. I learnt more, all you need is discipline, when you’re disciplined, you’re good to go.

You have attended several international competitions; could you share the experience of your first international tournaments?

The international competition was Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi, India; it was like my first time to travel and first time to go for an international competition. I was really prepared; I put all my efforts to make sure that I came out the best because anything might happen. Going there, I met people from different countries, made friends, training equipment were good, especially because there’s a lot of difference between our training facilities and what I saw there. We left Nigeria on time and on getting there we had to train more before the competition; we were surprised because there were not much facilities but when you get over there you see different equipment. When I got there, I was like I’m not going to give up, I’m going to go there and take the medal back to Nigeria, and really I came home with the gold medal. I left the 2010 Commonwealth Games with a record. I won the gold medal again in 2014 and another with a record in 2018. I was celebrated at the last Games and was honored as the first woman to win this back-to-back but it wasn’t easy.

So out of all the international competitions, you have attended, which one was the toughest for you?

London 2012, because when I got there I saw these dwarves competing in my class, I was like are these ones male or females because they were mostly looking like men, you’d hardly differentiate them from men, I was scared. I have been training and as a captain, I wouldn’t like anybody to come and defeat me so I had to go the extra mile to make sure that the record I set there before will work ahead of me and make another record. 2012 wasn’t easy, so many countries, in one category you had about two to three groups, having about 24 people going against you. It was really tough.

What would you actually describe as the best moment of your career so far?

All the moments of my career I enjoyed; I really enjoy it when we are taken good care of, when we share feelings with friends.

Of all the medals, you have won, which one is the most precious to you?

There is no medal that’s not special to me because I know I worked for all of them, all of them are special. However, the most special one is the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the year I was honored as the best female athlete in the world that won gold medals back-to-back, so I was so excited then.

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