Retired weightlifter Ruth Ogbeifo-Balofin talks about her career, winning silver at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and how she was abandoned by officials after copping an injury in this interview with ’TANA AIYEJINA
Where have you been and what have you been doing since you retired as a weightlifter?
After the Sydney 2000 Games, I had an injury, a severe elbow dislocation on my right hand, while preparing for the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games. I flew to London for treatment after Nigeria left me to my fate. A very senior official promised to look after me and pay for my treatment but didn’t. The injury forced me into retirement. I finally relocated to the UK after treatment and that is where I’ve been ever since. I went back to school and studied Social Works and now, I’m a qualified social worker.
How serious was the injury that led to your retirement?
When I had the injury, I was in camp in Imo State preparing for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. It was a very light weight that pulled off my elbow. I was seriously in pain and had to travel to Lagos. I met Dr Akin Amao and after looking at the hand, he referred me to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi. I went to Igbobi, but from there, I started moving from one hospital to the other. A dime has not been given to me for my treatment till this moment. When I saw that the injury wasn’t healing, and my entire hand was swollen, I had to travel to England. I treated myself and paid the bills and travel expenses with the allowance I got during the Olympics. I used all the money to treat my elbow at Crystal Palace. Dr. Amos Adamu said I shouldn’t worry, that I should bring the receipts when I finished the treatment and promised that I will be reimbursed. I went for treatment, came back home and took the receipts to Abuja but I couldn’t see Dr. Adamu. I wasn’t based in Abuja and was in a hotel because I didn’t know anyone there. When I couldn’t set my eyes on him, I just decided to let it be. So, I packed my bag and left Abuja, and that was the end of the story. Each time I think about it, it doesn’t make me happy. But I thank the Nigeria Olympic Committee for recognising me two years ago. They called me and said they wanted to honour me. It was a shock to me. They gave me a merit award in 2018; that is the only award I ever received in my life.
There’s hardly a mention of you and your achievements back home unlike other Olympic medalists…
(Cuts in) I don’t really care what people say because I’m a very reserved person. Even in my lifting days, hardly did you hear about anything I did. I do what I do for myself and God, my family and whoever chooses to recognise me. Whatever I am today, I give glory to God. I don’t want people to ring the bell for me, I want my work to speak for me and that is my policy.
Would you say you had the best preparations ahead of the 2000 Olympics?
Preparations were good during our time, unlike now. We attended different World Championships and qualifiers, and back home, we had a very long period of camping. We had good food and accommodation. You can’t liken it to what we have now. Currently, there is no national weightlifting national gym in Nigeria, it’s a shame. These are the things that need to change. The way athletes are taken care of and the facilities should be paramount when preparing for international competitions.
Were you confident of winning a medal when you got to Sydney?
Yes, I was hopeful because prior to the Sydney Games, I was on the medal (bronze) table at the World Championships in 1999 in Athens. So, I definitely knew within me that I was going to win a medal. Actually, I was hoping for a gold medal at the Olympics. Me and my opponent, Maria Isabel Urrutia from Colombia, both lifted the same weight but the gold was taken from me courtesy of the bodyweight judge. I was three grams heavier and after lifting the same thing, she got the gold and I got silver, but we had the same total. It was very painful, especially when I knew it was gold that was taken away from me due to my body weight but thank God I still got the silver. I’m the first African and Commonwealth woman to win an Olympic medal in weightlifting.
There’s the belief that Nigerians have the physique and qualities to dominate weightlifting but we have just two Olympic medals for all our efforts. What do you think is responsible for this?
It’s true because we have strong men and women but what is the reason for our failure at the Olympic level? Athletes don’t have the needed encouragement and consistency to move forward. I think frequent competitions will take us a long way because we need to compete at all times for us to keep in shape. So, we need encouragement, facilities and the motivation to excel in weightlifting.
What were your best and worst moments as an athlete?
Since I went into sports, I’ve never been recognised and it saddens my heart when I think about it. Again, when I was injured, I was neglected by my country, federation and everyone that knew me back then. A lot of things I can’t say happened. If I think about the mistreatment, I will never spend my penny in Nigeria or even in sports, but I have put all that behind me. Sometimes you forgive but you don’t forget. I can’t forget that moment where I had an injury; I flew myself to England to treat myself at the Crystal Palace Sports Injury Centre. I came back with the receipts and everybody tossed me around. Everyone acted like I had never done anything for Nigeria. The best moment of my career was winning the Olympic medal. When I was being decorated with my medal, the announcer said, ‘Ruth Ogbeifo, the first African and Commonwealth woman to win an Olympic silver medal in weightlifting.’ That wiped off my tears because I was sad when the gold was turned to silver. But when my achievement was mentioned, I knew something good had happened.
If your children venture into sports, would you advise them to represent Nigeria?
Never. I’m only encouraging the young ones back home to become a breadwinners like me in their various families. Once they are out there, I shall advise them to keep going because Nigeria as a nation is not worth dying for. Even though I love the country, our leaders are dream destroyers. That is why I would like to be the weightlifting federation president in future, to bring back the lost glory, to focus on the welfare of the athletes.
Did your parents kick against you becoming a weightlifter?
When I started weightlifting, people thought, ‘why are women doing weightlifting?’ This is because they believe the sport is for men and not women. Actually, when my dad found out that I was a weightlifter, he never liked it. He didn’t want me to become a weightlifter. I usually sneaked to the stadium whenever my dad and mum were at work. They were both not in support but from school I sneaked to the stadium and then back home as if nothing had happened. So, that was how I continued until I started winning and they wondered when I started training. It was like a shock to them until my husband, who was my coach, came to see them at home and told them that I was strong and they should allow me follow my passion.
He told them he’s seen my potential and that I had what it took to go places. He was very positive. My dad is an ex-soldier and he loved sports, but he wanted me to play football.
Lifting weights came with muscles. What was society’s attitude towards lifters then and did your stature scare guys away?
Men were scared of me due to my stature. During my days as a weightlifter, I was called a tomboy because I dressed like a boy, talked like a boy. Even today when I talk on the phone, people say I sound like a man. I have been this way from the beginning. I never put on skirts or gowns, I put on jeans and T-shirts most times, and that really scared men away from me. Luckily, I met my husband at the stadium. Men were really far away from me. They never came close. They were scared of me especially when I started weightlifting. They stayed miles away from me because they felt, ‘this woman is going to kill me if I got close to her.’ And I was really strong. I’m not bragging, I was strong and this scared men away from me. I didn’t need any man to protect me and luckily, the real one surfaced and we’ve been together since then. I and my husband have been together now for 26 years.
Originally published at Punch