By Quadri Labaika and Mary John
A student of the Department Mass Communication at the University of Jos, Jumoke Olateju is one of the institution’s rising stars and the Unijos Echo personality of the month.
The taekwondo gold medalist at the 2022 Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) rose to prominence following her participation in the 2023 FISU World University Game in Chengdu, China, where she represented Nigeria in the taekwondo heavyweight category. Although she did not make it to the podium at the games, her strength and bravery has resonated with the spirit of Nigeria and stands as an inspiration to many student-athletes across the country.
In this interview with the rising superstar, Unijos Echo gets up close and personal with the 2022 National Sports Festival Taekwondo champion.
Can we meet you?
My name is Olateju Olajumoke Blessing, and I’m from the University of Jos, Department of Mass Communication. I’m a taekwondo athlete.
When did you take up Taekwondo?
I picked interest in the game back in 2022 and in just a couple of months, I participated in the 2022 NUGA games, where I won my first medal. From there, it was on to the National Sport Festival, and then the World University Games.
You started barely a year ago and you have already won gold medals at NUGA 2022 and the National Sports Festival as well as being selected to represent Nigeria at the FISU World University Game in China. Can you tell us about your experience in China?
It was an eye-opener, trust me. There was new food and new training techniques. We got to see a lot of people from different countries, got to talk to them and know their values, the way they train, work and do things. In the Taekwondo aspect, we saw a lot of different ways things work in Nigeria that didn’t in China, and every other country that participated in the tournament.
There were different techniques, guards, Hugo and other things that were different from the way Nigeria operated. Above all, it was an eye-opener, exciting and I was happy I went.
Taekwondo in Nigeria is way down in the pecking order of sports in the country, what was the motivating factor that made you go for the sport?
It was a friend of mine who introduced me to the sport. At that time, if anyone had told me, “Jumoke, you are going to go for Taekwondo,” I would have said “It can’t be me!” It was my friend who advised me to go and see how it’s done and see if I can do it. It was 2022 and we were preparing for the NUGA games in Lagos. I started to give it a try and went for the training.
Initially, because of the kick and all, I was like, “I’m not doing this. “Then, Coach Abdul spoke to me and said there is no need to be scared about anything. So, after the conversation, I decided to give it a try. I went for it and got the first gold in my life. And from there, I got invited to the FISU World University Game in China.
For an African lady to wake up and decide to do Taekwondo, how did your parents, family members and friends take the news?
For my family, it was OK. My mum was like, “go for it, if it makes you happy.” For my friends, they were like, “you want to fight? You are not scared?” But later they got to understand it was something I could actually go for and win, so they were supportive till the end.
As a student, we have seen Nigerian sporting stars like Olumide Oyedeji, Seyi Olofinjana who started from the University and went ahead to become professionals. Are you also thinking of becoming a professional taekwondo Athlete?
Of course, I do. If it were left to me, I would open my own taekwondo school where I’ll teach children and let them know that there’s a sport like this that can actually give them a way forward. That’s just it.
How was the reception when you got to China?
There was a lot of acceptance, Chengdu outdid itself. They ensured the services were 100%. I was super happy when we got there. They greeted us with “Welcome to Chengdu, we make your dream come true!” That was their slogan and they would smile.
What are some of the challenges you went through—the preparations you had to make, physical exercises and everything you needed to do to be ready for that day?
Okay. I’m a heavyweight champion. I’m 80kg plus. I didn’t really need to check the food I ate before going to the tournament.
One of my friends, on the other hand, had to shed some weight because she was supposed to fight for 61-69kg, but she was weighing more than 69kg; so, she needed to drop and go on a diet. So that’s the kind of sacrifice you have to make in taekwondo, especially as a lady and an athlete.
Talking about challenges, when we got there, we didn’t have a lot; we didn’t have enough opportunities like the rest of the other countries.
In Nigeria, we didn’t have a coach, I forgot my teeth guard at home. And when I told them I didn’t have a teeth guard, they were like, “why don’t you have a teeth guard?” And teeth guards, there, were actually very expensive. We also found out that there were a lot of things that we were not told: like the dobok—the dobok I took to China was of low quality. In Nigeria, we could use any dobok we see, but there, there was high tendency, there was KPNP.
Did you face any financial challenges?
Yes, we did! We did! It was an eye opener. We got there; we were not given anything. Nigerians! We were not given anything before we got there and even after we left. We were just given (oral) support like, “okay, go for this thing. You’re not really athletes like that… You’re not really pro athletes that you people will expect us to give money.” Do you understand? That’s like one of the challenges we faced there. We had to tell them that we needed money for this oo, we need money for teeth guard, we need money for sensor socks and there’s groin guards and there’s hanger…
Like me, I found out that I needed to use a groin guard which was new and it was rare. We don’t even use it in Nigeria. So getting there, we had to tell them that, “Sir, there was this thing we needed to buy” and they’d be like, “There’s no money oo. Go and find it or go and look for a way to just maneuver everything.” And that is like one of the things we had to go and face there. But still, we learned new things. And that was just like the main thing there.
How many medals have you won so far?
I’ve won two gold medals. I’ve gotten one from the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA); and the second one from the National Sports Festival in Delta state—both in 2022.
The University of Jos will be hosting the next NUGA. Now that the game is at your door, what’s the feeling like?
Yeah! There are new things. I’ve learned new techniques; I’ve trained a lot. So, just expect more from me. Expect more from Jumoke.
So, what advice would you give people looking up to you?
Don’t let anything bring you down. Just focus on what you need to focus on, and be the best that you can be, always, every day. It’s hard, trust me—the training and everything—if you’re not even up to the weight, you’ll have to shed or add, that’s hard. But trust me, it pays off. And as for combining academics and athletics, we work through it; it’s a work in progress. We go for our sports, we go for our school, we just work through it. We go for evening practices, we go for Saturday practices by 7 a.m., we go jogging, so we just keep fit and then put in our best to achieve success.
Great piece, she sure have the inner athlete ability in her after just a year she’s heading from thebtop.