In 2016 Divine Oduduru ran in the 200m semi-final of the Summer Olympic Games, in a time of 20.59, but missed out of a place in the final.
His semi-final time was well short, falling behind his brilliant performance in the heat of the same event, where he finished behind only eventual 200m champion , Jamaica’s Usain Bolt.
Oduduru ran a personal best of 20.34 in the race and his exploits attracted a chat from one of the greatest Olympian and Sports man the world has seen, Bolt.
It was nice to shake hands with the big man @usainbolt after the race. I am humbled #INeverExperredIt #TeamUnion pic.twitter.com/Brk9clioVv
— Oduduru Divine (@odudurudivine1) August 16, 2016
Bolt went on to win the 200m final in a time of 19.78 to set a season’s best in what was a competitive field but with a slow time.
Fast forward three years, with Oduduru now taking tutelage at the prestigious Texas Tech Raiders, the former African Junior champion and African Games silver medal winner is posting incredible times.
During a recent event, the Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, Texas, the 22 year-old clocked a time of 19.76 to finish first.
He not shattered his own PB (20.08) in the 200m, his time would have won him gold at the 2016 Olympic Games 200m event, with Usain Bolt in the field.
Oduduru ran the best time in the 200m as well as the 100m in 2019 at the invitational competition, boosting Nigeria’s chances of a return to dominance on the continent with the African Games only four months away.
