> Olympic-bound Igali to coach Nigerians
Olympic-bound Igali to coach Nigerians
Contact:
Daniel Igali (in Nigeria) 011.234.805.141.4416, or 011.234.808.096.7877; daniel.igali@gmail.com
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323
Daniel Igali (in Nigeria) 011.234.805.141.4416, or 011.234.808.096.7877; daniel.igali@gmail.com
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323
July 11, 2008
Daniel Igali is heading once more to the Olympics – not as a competitor, but this time as a technical director and mentor to a pair of young wrestling hopefuls from Nigeria.
And in some ways, the SFU graduate student is more nervous coaching the young Nigerian team members than he was in 2000 when he competed and won gold in men’s freestyle wrestling (69 kg) for Canada.
“I feel so much for these young wrestlers, what they are going through and the dreams they have,” says Igali, who is currently in Nigeria with the wrestlers. Later this month they will spend two weeks in Korea training before heading to the games in Beijing August 8 - 24.
Twenty-nine-year-old Wilson Seiwari (120 kg) is a two-time African champion in freestyle wrestling, who comes from the Niger Delta region close to where Igali grew up. Young female wrestler Amarachi Obiajuwan (72 kg), who is only 19, found success early and already has two African championships under her belt. She is from the eastern part of the Niger Delta. Igali places both somewhere “in the middle of the pack” with strong potential to shine in competition.
“They are working really hard and have done well in Africa – they are doing everything right and we’re taking it one step at a time.”
Igali and the wrestlers recently spent a week at the University of Guelph training and competing. They were allowed entry into Canada after initially being denied visas (along with four others on the Nigerian team) to compete in May in an Olympic qualifying event in Edmonton - and train at SFU, where Igali had hoped they could gain from the veteran eye of coach Dave McKay.
“It would have been great experience for them,” says Igali, whose protest to the government eventually enabled the stint at Guelph.
Igali has spent the past two years fine-tuning the operations of the school he established in his home village of Eniwari - an involvement that has kept him returning to Nigeria often.
That has meant ample opportunity to promote his sport and work with local wrestlers. “Working with these young Olympic hopefuls has been a wonderful opportunity,” says Igali, who will continue to promote the sport in Canada and internationally. He is one of the featured Olympians in Canadian Olympic School program introduced this past spring (see http://www.olympicschool.ca/).
Igali plans to keep an Olympic diary as he did at both the 2000 and 2004 games. The diary will be posted in August on his website, http://www.igali.com/.
And in some ways, the SFU graduate student is more nervous coaching the young Nigerian team members than he was in 2000 when he competed and won gold in men’s freestyle wrestling (69 kg) for Canada.
“I feel so much for these young wrestlers, what they are going through and the dreams they have,” says Igali, who is currently in Nigeria with the wrestlers. Later this month they will spend two weeks in Korea training before heading to the games in Beijing August 8 - 24.
Twenty-nine-year-old Wilson Seiwari (120 kg) is a two-time African champion in freestyle wrestling, who comes from the Niger Delta region close to where Igali grew up. Young female wrestler Amarachi Obiajuwan (72 kg), who is only 19, found success early and already has two African championships under her belt. She is from the eastern part of the Niger Delta. Igali places both somewhere “in the middle of the pack” with strong potential to shine in competition.
“They are working really hard and have done well in Africa – they are doing everything right and we’re taking it one step at a time.”
Igali and the wrestlers recently spent a week at the University of Guelph training and competing. They were allowed entry into Canada after initially being denied visas (along with four others on the Nigerian team) to compete in May in an Olympic qualifying event in Edmonton - and train at SFU, where Igali had hoped they could gain from the veteran eye of coach Dave McKay.
“It would have been great experience for them,” says Igali, whose protest to the government eventually enabled the stint at Guelph.
Igali has spent the past two years fine-tuning the operations of the school he established in his home village of Eniwari - an involvement that has kept him returning to Nigeria often.
That has meant ample opportunity to promote his sport and work with local wrestlers. “Working with these young Olympic hopefuls has been a wonderful opportunity,” says Igali, who will continue to promote the sport in Canada and internationally. He is one of the featured Olympians in Canadian Olympic School program introduced this past spring (see http://www.olympicschool.ca/).
Igali plans to keep an Olympic diary as he did at both the 2000 and 2004 games. The diary will be posted in August on his website, http://www.igali.com/.