Late Sunday Bada’s wife speaks on the husband’s Olympic dream

The wife of Nigeria’s late renowned quarter miler, Sunday Bada, Olasumbo, said on Sunday, in Lagos, that, If there was one medal that her husband wished to receive in his lifetime, it was the Sydney Olympics 4x400 relay gold.

Olasumbo spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria on the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to award the gold to Nigeria after the U.S. lost an appeal to retain it, in spite of a member of the American relay quartet failing a dope test.

She said it was sad that her husband was not alive to witness the award of the gold, which he struggled to add to his haul of medals in the sport.

“But for me and my children, we thank God that the wishes for the country to be given the medal have come through.

“He dreamt of and worked hard for an Olympic medal, and he was confident it would come but never knew he would not be there in flesh and blood to receive it.

``The Olympic gold is the only medal missing from his years in athletics; he worked hard to ensure that he received it alive,’’ she said.

Bada’s son, Oluwatobi, 16, also said: ``I now feel really sad at my father’s death. It is heart-breaking for us that he did not live to receive a medal he worked hard to get.’’

The award has come 12 years after a member of the U.S. team, Antonio Pettigrew, tested positive to a performance-enhancing substance.