Nigeria and Africa’s number badminton player in doubles, Godwin Richard Olufua has said his strong bond with Anuoluwapo Opeyori which has seen them dominate the event in the continent will propel them to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
In this interview with Trust Sports, the 21-year-old Human Kinetics student of the University of Lagos spoke on his rise to stardom, the challenges he faced as well as his ambition to qualify for the next Olympics.
Following the steady decline in cases of COVID-19, the government has decided to reopen sporting activities. How happy are you with this decision?
I am quite happy. Before now, I engaged in personal training to maintain my physical fitness. I don’t like being caught off guard. I always want to be battle ready no matter the situation. To the glory of God, they have opened our training centre and we are now training morning and evening. We are now playing badminton again and it is a welcome development for those of us who are aiming to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
You and Opeyori are the defending champions in doubles in Nigeria and Africa. How much are you enjoying your partnership with him?
It has been an amazing journey for two of us. We are enjoying a very healthy rivalry. You know we are both from Lagos State and we started together. When we started, we said nobody is going to beat us. We said we would only beat each other in tournaments but we won’t allow anybody to beat us. Interestingly, since we became national players, nobody has beaten us in Nigeria. Despite what we have achieved so far, we’re not complacent. There is no way he will be training and I will sit and watch. It is the same thing with him. We are friends on and off the badminton court. So the bond is so strong and together, we are working hard to qualify for the Olympics.
How bright are your chances of qualifying for the Olympics?
It is not going to be easy because this time we are not playing against opponents in the continent only. We are going to face the best players in the world and we have to beat them, if we are to qualify for the Olympics. It will be tough but we also believe we are among the best players in the world. So I cannot rule out our chances of making Nigeria proud by qualifying for the Olympics.
How good is your ranking for the Olympics qualifiers?
Our ranking is not bad but we have to play more tournaments to garner more points. If we are not in the top 50, we won’t qualify. And to be in the top 50, we have to play as many international tournaments as possible. At the moment, we are ranked 44 which means we are close but like I said, if we don’t play more international tournaments, our ranking would drop and our chances would be in jeopardy. Qualifying tournaments will start in January.
Are you in any way worried that the badminton federation may find it difficult to sponsor you to these tournaments?
I know it is not going to be easy but I have confidence in the present federation. The President is not relenting in his efforts to get us sponsors. He is talking to the sports ministry and some of his friends to get sponsorship for us to attend these international tournaments. It will interest you to know before now, we didn’t attend any foreign training tour but the present federation has made this to become possible. We have attended a number of tournaments in Europe. We attended Denmark, Estonia, Sweden and Turkey International Tournaments. So I am confident that we will attend these qualifying tournaments.
How did your badminton career start?
I started playing in 2010. Actually, I was training in martial arts. My mum asked me to learn martial arts because I was too weak for her liking. However, on my way to training, I used to see people playing badminton. I would watch through the window. I loved the way they were playing the game. I developed interest. Eventually, I joined the group when I was still in secondary school. In 2011, I played my first tournament in Calabar which was the Secondary Schools Games. I won gold in singles and doubles. My performance in Calabar made me develop more interest in the game. I continued to play school competitions until I moved up to national tournaments.
What was your performance when you played your first national tournament?
It was like the baptism of fire. I was beaten mercilessly in my first and only match at the tournament. That was in 2012/2013 in Ilorin. I immediately realised I had not started playing badminton. But I was privileged to watch the best players in the country and also know more about the game.
When exactly did you start playing for the national team?
I started in 2017. It would have been earlier but we had no national tournaments. Although we were good enough to represent Nigeria, there were no national tournaments, so players were still picked based on old rankings. However, the much needed breakthrough came in 2017 when the present board led by Frank Orbih was inaugurated. It was at the 2017 national tournament that we took over from the older players. My partner Opeyori emerged the number one and I became the number two player. Since them we have remained unbeaten in singles and doubles. Sometimes, I beat him in singles but he remains the number one because he has accumulated more points.
What is your most memorable moment as a badminton player?
Although I have represented Nigeria in so many tournaments where I won laurels, I will say my most memorable moment for now is when I emerged the Most Valuable Player, MVP, at the 2018 West Africa Universities Games in Port-Harcourt. I won gold in mixed doubles, singles and doubles. It was a heart warming performance. And I took the form to the national tournament where I defeated my partner, Opeyori in the singles final. I then partnered him to win gold in doubles. I will also mention my semi-final victory in the 2019 African Championship in Port-Harcourt as another memorable moment. I defeated the defending champion, Georges Paul of Mauritius and it was mind blowing.
What would you say is your saddest moment as a badminton player?
Without any doubt, losing the 2019 Africa Badminton Championship finals was painful. I had eliminated the Africa number one player so I was expecting nothing less than the gold. In the end, a little mistake spoilt my day.
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