I didn’t give up on Olympic dream – Ibadin

Nigeria 800m runner Edose Ibadin, who will be making his first appearance at the Olympics in Paris, has said he never gave up on his dream of representing Nigeria at the global sports fiesta, which came to fruition after 12 years, sending a soothing message to other athletes who missed out on the roster for this year’s event, which will be held from July 26 to August 11, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Ibadin has been in high spirits since making Nigeria’s 35-man athletic contingent, which was released by the AFN last Saturday.

The 31-year-old will be competing at the Olympics for the first time, but has represented Nigeria at the African Games (2019 and 2023) and World Championships (2019).

He is the only 800-metre athlete on the Nigerian team.

“To all those who didn’t make their Olympic team, I just want to say this: Your effort wasn’t wasted; there’s still some season left, so kill it on the track and allow yourself to feel everything; this setback doesn’t define you,” Ibadin wrote on X.

“Trust me, I have been there. I missed teams due to not having the standard and not performing the way I would’ve liked. But remembering what I’m capable of helped so much, and I immediately got back on the wagon after I allowed myself to feel sad and frustrated.”

In January 2012, the American-based athlete made a post about his desire to compete at the Olympics and referred to the post on Saturday.

“When I tweeted this, I was 18 and a freshman in college. 12 years later, I’m now 31 and headed to my first Olympics later this month.

“I only had one scholarship offer. Never made an NCAA final. I didn’t have a contract coming out of college. Always bet on yourself.”

Ibadin is currently the national record holder in the 800 m with a time of 1:44.65, which he ran at the Thomas O. Berg Track in Washington, DC, USA, in July 2023.

He won bronze with the men’s 4x400m team at the 2019 African Games in Morocco and was also part of the men’s 4x100m team in round one at the 2023 edition held earlier this year in Ghana.