Nigeria’s teenage gymnast, Stephanie Onusiriuka, at the weekend, traveled to London for a two-year training tour ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Twelve-year-old Onusiriuka has been winning medals for the country in club competitions abroad as well as at the National Youth Games (NYG) and National Sports Festival (NYG) since age seven.
Coach Tony Asuquo, while speaking at a send-off party by her club, Tony International Gymnastics (TIG) Club in Abuja, on Friday, said the aim of the training tour was to prepare the athlete for the 2028 Olympics.
“I have no doubt in the talent and abilities of Stephanie and we wish her well as she travels on Sunday (yesterday).
“At Stephanie’s level at the moment, there are some techniques she cannot do at our gym at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
“Those techniques could get her injured and we don’t have the necessary safety measures or apparatus for her to scale high.
“Moving professionally, she needs a dietician, a psychologist and more and we can’t offer her that here, so the best option for her is to seek better opportunities abroad,” he said.
Onusiriuka was excited about her trip and thanked her parents for their support.
“I am very happy to be traveling. It is a dream come true and I appreciate my parents for the support.
“They have tried a lot to help me achieve this and I promise to do my best,” Onusiriuka said.
Her mother, Amaka Onusiriuka, said: “This is a dream come true for us. We have been working on this project for a long time.
“I must appreciate the former minister as well as other staff of the Ministry for the support so far.
“I also appreciate the coaches at TIG who have helped discover and improve the talents of my daughter.
“We all hope that Stephanie will continue to improve on this journey,” she said.
