Nigerian World Record Holder in 100m & 200m Divine Oduduru drops out of American University in Final Year
Divine Oduduru, Nigerian athlete, has officially dropped out of Texas Tech University in the final year to pursue a professional career as an athlete.
According to the University’s official website, Oduduru, who is now the second fastest African in the 100m after compatriot Olusoji Fasuba was in devastating form at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships on Friday, June 7, winning both 100m and 200m events as Texas Tech’s claimed its maiden men’s athletics national title.
“I want to say thank you to Texas Tech University for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to come study here,” Oduduru noted, even as he took out time to applaud other squad members.
“I want to thank all of my teammates — from the sprinters to the jumpers to the throwers — for always believing in me and giving me so much support. I never felt like I was not at home here.
“It has been so great being here at Tech, and now I’ve made up my mind that I want to go pursue my career. I’ll always be proud to say I am a Red Raider and a Tech student. Wherever I go to, I will be proud to say that.”
Interestingly, Oduduru broke into the scene representing Nigeria at the Rio Olympics in 2016, finishing second behind Usain Bolt to attract global attention.
However, he returned to the spotlight in America, winning the 200m title at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2018 despite running in lane eight.