As the countdown to the 2024 Paris Olympics Games continues, Nigerian champion and 2023 African Games gold medallist in men’s -57k category, Dolapo Omole, has said his ultimate ambition is to win a gold medal at the world’s biggest games. In this exclusive interview with Trust Sports, the boxer popularly called ‘ King Machine’ spoke on his choice of boxing as a sport, the challenges and his dream to become the first Nigerian to win Olympics gold in boxing.
Could you share with us how you started your boxing career?
I started boxing when I was six years old at Alaba International in Ojo Local Government Area, Lagos State. I was just doing it for fun. Sometimes I won gold at local competitions sometimes, I didn’t win anything. But I knew that one day, it will pay so I continued despite the challenges. So, I kept grinding till when I became the state champion. From there, I moved up from being an amateur to professional boxer. In my professional boxing voyage, I have been involved in nine fights, recording nine wins by knockout. It was after this impressive record, I received the call to the national team.
How did you qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics?
The road to the Olympics was not an easy ride. It began when I represented the country in a championship bout in Cameroon where I won bronze. Later, I also went for the Olympics qualifier in Dakar, Senegal, that was the breakthrough because I won the gold medal. That victory sealed my ticket to the Olympics.
You represented Nigeria at the 13th African Games in Ghana, how was the experience?
It was after the victory in Senegal where I picked the ticket to the Olympics in Paris that I received the call-up to represent the country at the African Games in Ghana. It was a huge experience during the continental games. It served as a springboard and preparatory ground for the Olympics. I thank God I won another gold medal in the men’s -57k category.
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How confident are you that you will win a medal at the Olympics?
I want to thank God for granting me the grace to qualify. It is the dream of every athlete to be an Olympian and more so, it is the dream of every athlete to win. By God’s grace I will bring the gold medal to Nigeria because the intensity of my training has increased.
So, how often do you train now that you are preparing for the Olympics Games?
I train every day, both morning and evening and each session lasts for three hours, approximately six hours per day. I am doing this because I want to break the jinx in boxing. No Nigerian has ever won a gold medal in boxing and for years now, Nigeria has not been represented in boxing at the Olympics. But God who has qualified me will help bring the gold medal to Nigeria.
How much support are you enjoying from the Sports Ministry and the Boxing Federation?
No serious response yet from the relevant authorities in terms of camping for the Olympics but considering my ambition and personal target, I am preparing ahead of a formal invitation to camp.
Doping is said to be common among boxers. How clean are you?
I am aware that some boxers use drugs to perform but it is not a good thing because when it backfires, you are made to face a 10-year ban. I won’t have anything to do with performance enhancing drugs.
How do you deal with the health hazards in boxing and how are you planning for life after your career?
Most sportsmen don’t know how to plan for life in retirement but I don’t want to be one of such people. I know that I am not going to be an active boxer forever so I am putting measures in place to look after my health and life in general in retirement. My priority is to ensure that I am stable mentally because for me, my mental health matters a lot. I am in boxing for a purpose so I need to go for regular medical checkups because all boxers engage mentally while in the ring. We exchange punches and sometimes it might hit the head in a delicate part. I believe what matters most is to commit your life and career to God to help so as not to be distracted by the fortunes of stardom.
What is your advice to boxers who don’t go for regular checkups?
Yes, I agree a lot of boxers don’t go for regular checkups. They believe once they are done with training, they fight, get the money and spend lavishly. But this is wrong. After a fight, a boxer needs to go for a checkup to know his or her health status, to know what has been lost and what needs to be redeemed. So, you need to polish the body up, eat enough carbohydrate just to keep the body up again before you go for another fight. Sadly, most boxers just think about fighting without considering their health. They don’t think of the future. They only think of the present but the future matters most.
What are the major hurdles that you face in your career?
It has not been a bed full of roses. Some days, I feel like quitting because there is no food to eat before going for training but I still manage to go on an empty stomach.
What is the motivation despite these challenges?
I believe one day I will succeed and also I know that those people at the top went through a process and worked hard before getting there.
What is your educational background?
I finished my senior secondary school education in 2018 and I wrote the Universal Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) four times because my family wanted me to further my education. In my fourth attempt, I got the required scores but I asked my parents to allow me to concentrate on boxing. I told them that I will further my education after making money and a name in boxing. To the glory of God, I am now an African champion. And soon, I will be an Olympian. So, I will still further my education.
Was it easy for you to convince your parents to allow you to focus on your professional career?
It was a period of going back and forth. At first, my parents were not happy with my decision to focus on boxing. They were of the opinion that most boxers end up as street urchins or thugs but I convinced them I will never become a thug.
They must be proud of you now that you are doing very well in boxing…
Sure, they are proud of me. I have been making them proud and they are now seeing that the future will be bright but they keep advising me not to depend solely on boxing. So, I went to learn how to repair shoes. I thank God that I am now on the verge of becoming an Olympian. I believe this is an opportunity to take my family from grass to grace in society.
