Francis Obikwelu
Francis Obikwelu at the European Indoor Championships 2011 in Paris
Francis Obiorah Obikwelu ( born November 22, 1978 in Onitsha ) is a Portuguese Sprinter Nigerian origin to have won numerous titles in his career and took part in the Olympic Games. At a size of 1.95 m, it has a competition weight of 79 kg, and currently starts for Sporting Lisbon. Both his sporting achievements and his life story and his character have made him very popular and popular in Portugal. His nickname is Chico, the short form of the Portuguese form of his first given name.
For Nigeria
At the age of 14 years, one of his football coaches made him to be attentive sprint talent and advised him to devote himself to athletics. Just two years later, 1994, Obikwelu represented his country at the African Youth Championships and finished over 400 meters for second place. In the same year he moved during the Junior World Championships in Athletics in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon and remained there after the contest resident. After the two big local sports clubs Benfica and Sporting not accept him he hired himself first as a construction worker in the Algarve. Obikwelu decided to learn Portuguese and his teacher gave him the contact to Belenenses Lisbon. Around the same time he was adopted by a Portuguese.
Although the Sprinter already took to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta in part, but he could only celebrate their successes at the international stage since 1997. At the 1997 World Championships in Athens, he won with the Nigerian relay silver medal in the 4 x 100 meters and reached two years later in Seville in individual competition over 200 meters for third place. About the same distance he won at the 1999 Pan-African Games also in Johannesburg.
For Portugal
In July 2000, let Obikwelus Teamkammeradin Mercy Nku, who was also stationed in Lisbon, announce that he was planning to compete in future for Portugal. This decision, he published a neglect by the Nigerian officials during an injury. The required knee surgery in Canada, he would have had to pay for itself. In October 2001, Francis Obikwelu took to the Portuguese citizenship.
In the following years, he established himself in the world rankings and won numerous victories. So he was at the European Championships in Munich in 2002 Second in the 100 and 200 meters, the 100 meters four years later he received subsequently the European title. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, he was regarded as dark horses over the short distance and actually secured in a European record time of 9.86 s the silver medal. The 2005 season, however, was less successful; he was never able to build on its excellence from the previous year and was at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki only fourth. At the European Championships in Gothenburg in 2006 ran better and Obikwelu fetched in 20.01 s gold over 200 meters. Although this time is a Portuguese national record, but no personal best, as it is already 19.84 s was over 1999. In addition, he also won the 100 meters in 9.99 s and is the first athlete to the brand ten seconds undercutting at European Championships.
Five years later he won a surprise with a new personal best and new national record at the European Indoor Championships 2011 in Paris over 60 meters and referred the favorite Dwain Chambers and Christophe Lemaitre at the courts. At age 32 he became the oldest winner of this discipline in European Indoor Championships.
Doping
The gold medal for the 100 - meter race at the European Championships in 2002 received Obikwelu awarded until four years later, as the original winner Dwain Chambers of doping had been transferred.
Also the result of the final run in the 100 meters at the 2004 Olympics could be subject to change, as the winner Justin Gatlin in 2006 missed a doping test and is now believed that he was possibly drugged during the Olympic Games in Athens. However, the probability of this and the following medal handover to Obikwelu are low since they would also require a confession Gatlins. Francis Obikwelu presented already clear that he did not win his medals in the office.