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Seye Ogunlewe Is Right on Track!

By Beatrice Porbeni
09 October 2017   |   1:00 pm
Being an athlete can't be an easy task, the competition is tough out there and the discipline involved is not for the faint-hearted. For Seye Ogunlewe, his journey started in his high school days at Atlantic Hall, Lagos and his career officially begun after watching Usain Bolt run in the 2008 Olympics. According to the…

Being an athlete can’t be an easy task, the competition is tough out there and the discipline involved is not for the faint-hearted. For Seye Ogunlewe, his journey started in his high school days at Atlantic Hall, Lagos and his career officially begun after watching Usain Bolt run in the 2008 Olympics.

According to the athlete, “I am a 26-year- old Nigerian and an international sprinter…a law and politics degree holder from the University of Essex. A very easy going person and obsessed with Manchester United.”

The athlete, who has been competing from a young age, talks about an embarrassing moment, after finishing last in a race years ago. But that didn’t stop him as he continues his journey around the world competing.

Seye Ogunlewe

Leading up to the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia and the African championships in Nigeria, the athlete had a short Q & A with Guardian Life on his life as an athlete.

When did you start your career as an athlete? What influenced you?
I started in 2014 officially. Watching Usain Bolt win the Olympics in 2008 was what inspired me.

If you weren’t an athlete what would you be doing?
I would definitely have been a football player as that was a sport I was very good at.

What was your most memorable moment from the 2016 Olympics?
Getting ready for the 100m heats with thousands of people watching you. I had never been in front of a crowd like that.

How do you balance your social life and training?
During the season, there is very little time for social life as it can be very gruelling. I tend to just relax post-training and try and catch up with friends on the weekend.

What are some perks you get as an athlete?
I get to travel around the world. I also feel good when people tell me they are proud of what I am doing and also the opportunity to tell my story to the world.

How hard is it to keep fit? Have you had to make any sacrifices along the way?
My body structure doesn’t allow me to get fat but I keep a strict diet in other to achieve the best performances. Every other thing is a bit structured for example sleep and daily routine.

Seye Ogunlewe

What’s a typical training day for you?
Wake up at 6 am, go to the gym, and lift some weight and go back home for lunch. Get some rest. Get ready for afternoon track session. After which I see the physiotherapist and get some soft tissue therapy. Go home and rest again.

What’s the toughest challenge you’ve had as an athlete thus far?
Wouldn’t call it a challenge but getting injured made me regroup and think about what I had to do to get better and get on the track.

What has been your most embarrassing moment so far?
I came last in a race a few years ago and it was terrible.

Have you learned any valuable lessons so far?
There’s no shortcut to success, so you must work hard.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself?
I can play the drums and I actually made it to grade 4 learning to read and play.

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