The Association of Track and Field Statisticians (ATFS) has certified respected athletics coach, Chief Anthony Osheku as its newest member in Nigeria.
The certification brings to two the number of track and field statisticians in Nigeria who have enjoyed global recognition from the international body. The first was Samuel Ademolu Fatunla who worked for over 20 years at the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
Osheku’s certification was confirmed in the report of the association’s secretary, Michael J. Mclaughlin in the 2018 bulletin of the body which listed the Nigerian’s name among the three newest ATFS-recognised statisticians.
Unarguably one of the most successful track and field coaches Nigeria has ever produced, Osheku trained Falilat Ogunkoya to two Olympic medals and two African records at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA.
He also coached Ogunkoya to four consecutive final appearances in the 400m at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) flagship event, the World Championships (1995-2001) as well as the number ranking in the quarter-mile in 1998.
Osheku was also involved in the successes recorded by sprinter, Seun Ogunkoya who won the African 100m title in 1998 in Dakar, Senegal before setting a then new Nigeria record of 9.92 seconds to place second in the IAAF World Cup in Athletics (now Continental Cup) in Johannesburg, South Africa also in 1998.
