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The Nigerian sprinter revealed that she had been competing through pain and had considered withdrawing before deciding to fight on<\/p>\n
Nigeria’s Olayinka Olajide fought back tears after her Commonwealth Games women’s 200m campaign ended in the semi-finals on Thursday, admitting that injury and a lack of preparation for the event made the challenge even more difficult.<\/p>\n
Olajide finished seventh in her semi-final in 23.79 seconds, as the British Virgin Islands’ Adaejah Hodge won the race in a Commonwealth Games record of 22.01 seconds, ahead of Jamaica’s Ashanti Moore in 22.49 seconds.<\/p>\n
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Speaking to journalists moments after the race, the visibly emotional Nigerian sprinter revealed that she had been competing through pain and had considered withdrawing before deciding to fight on.<\/p>\n
\n “I’m not actually in a very perfect shape because my hand is quite disturbing me. I wanted to pull out, but I’m a type of person that doesn’t give up.”<\/p>\n Although disappointed with the result, Olajide said the experience had taught her an important lesson about listening to her body and trusting her coach’s advice.<\/p>\n “I started this season on a very good note. But because I didn’t listen to myself and I didn’t listen to my coach back in Texas, because he wanted me to have a full-time rest, I didn’t give myself that grace.”<\/p>\n She admitted she struggled to hide her emotions after the race but was determined not to let the setback define her season.<\/p>\n “I’m going to say six out of 10. I’m not really, really okay. I already promised myself that I’m not going to cry about this.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Olajide also disclosed that competing in the 200m was never part of her original plan for the Games.<\/p>\n According to her, she travelled to Glasgow expecting to focus on Nigeria’s 4x100m relay team before learning after arriving that she would also compete in the individual event.<\/p>\n “They told me I was coming here to run the 4×100, so it was when we got here that they said I was going to run the 200. Because of my injury, I never prepared for the 200. I’ve always prepared for the 100 metres.”<\/p>\n She explained that even at Nigeria’s national trials she did not contest the 200m, making the race an unfamiliar challenge.<\/p>\n Still, after discussing the situation with her coach, she decided to embrace the opportunity.<\/p>\n “When I told my coach about it, he said he would like me to run an individual event for experience. He said, ‘You’ve come all the way to the Games.’ So I wanted to take something home, and that was why I decided to agree to run the 200.”<\/p>\n
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