As the MTN Champs Season 3 continued with its high-stakes Continental Relays in Lagos, young athletes pushed boundaries, broke personal records, and dared to dream of Olympic greatness. Among them was a familiar face – track legend and five-time Olympian, Mary Onyali, one of this season’s official ambassadors, bringing both star power and heartfelt mentorship to the games.
Known for her fierce sprints and undeniable legacy, Onyali is a decorated athlete. She competed in five consecutive Olympic Games from 1988 to 2004, clinching bronze medals in the 4×100m relay (1992) and 200m sprint (1996), and winning gold at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. But at MTN Champs, it wasn’t just her medals that made her presence shine. It was her passion for shaping the next generation.
Reflecting on breathing in the energy of the athletes and the emotions of being at the MTN Champs
competitions, Onyali described her involvement as a homecoming.
“Being in a space like this is taking me down memory lane. I see myself in a lot of these kids. I used to be like them in my younger, active days. Whenever I’m at a track meet, I have nothing but joy.” Onyali, now a vocal advocate for grassroots sports development, soaked in the fierce competition around her.
“If I were competing here, I would probably have butterflies coming out of my stomach, head, everywhere. Seeing other athletes running fast, each round, each heat. You want to beat the best time of the person who ran before you. You want to make it to the finals, and be on the podium.”
Her decision to become an MTN Champs ambassador, she described as a no-brainer. “This is bringing me home. This is where I was made. This is how I was made. I was discovered, nurtured and groomed to stardom. Becoming an ambassador for MTN is like teaching my children the best way forward. I want someone that will replace me and the likes of me.”
Onyali, an advocate for the revitalization of the sports industry, spoke about the significance of the MTN Champs competition to the advancement of the sports industry. “There’s a big vacuum in Nigerian sports that we must fill and MTN Champs is doing just that.”
Nigeria’s sports industry has a wealth of untapped potential, and there’s a growing need for more structured platforms that can properly identify and nurture young athletes. While raw talent exists in abundance, many aspiring athletes face challenges in accessing the resources, world-class training, and exposure needed to excel on the global stage. Initiatives like the MTN Champs are crucial for bridging this gap and providing athletes with the opportunity to shine.
Onyali called on MTN to continue their investment, noting the long-term nature of athletic development. “Kudos to MTN. This is the third season, and we want you to continue this sponsorship for the next five, ten years because athletics takes time, money and patience. Between now and the next ten years, we can definitely find another Mary Onyali.”
For Onyali, talent alone isn’t enough. She emphasized the “three Ds” that defined her journey: discipline, determination, and dedication. “Without these Ds, you’re not going to make it near the Olympic podium. I lived, ate and slept the three Ds all through my career. I want the athletes coming out of [MTN] Champs to do the same.”
In a lighter moment, Onyali reminisced about her pre-race rituals and workout playlists. While most might expect high-energy music to fuel a sprinter, her response was a bit unexpected. “I’m not really into hyping music when I’m warming up. I actually prefer something cool, because I’m already overly-excited and burning up so I don’t want to blow my top. I’m really into soft-rock, anything that can calm my nerves, anything I can sing to.”
MTN Champs is more than a sporting competition. It’s a pipeline for discovering raw talent and building future Olympians for Nigeria. With icons like Mary Onyali on board, the dream is clearer and more achievable for countless young Nigerian athletes.
