Femi Ogunode

In Nigeria, Ogunode ran for University of Ibadan and qualified for the 2007 All-Africa Games and the 2008 Summer Olympics. However, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria left him off of the final rosters for both events for undisclosed reasons. Following these slights, Ogunode accepted an offer to compete internationally for Qatar.[8]

He moved to Qatar in October 2009 and began international competition the following year. He won the 100 metres and 200 metres at the West Asian Championships and was entered into the 2010 Asian Games. At the Games in Guangzhou he took two gold medals, winning over 200 m and 400 metres with personal bests of 20.43 seconds and 45.12 seconds, respectively.[9] This made him only the second athlete in Games history to have won both events at the same competition – Milkha Singh first achieved this at the 1958 Asian Games.[10]

He follows in the footsteps of Samuel Francis, another Nigerian sprinter who transferred to compete for Qatar.

He became the Asian champion in 200 metres, at Kobe, Japan.[11] He equalled the Championships record (20.41 s) en route to gold. He then did even better at the Military World Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when he completed a 100 metres and 200 metres double. He set new championship marks over both distances (10.07 and 20.46).[12]

Ogunode served a two-year ban lasting until January 2014 for the use of the prohibited substance Clenbuterol. In September 2014 he won the 100 m event at the Asian Games setting a new Asian record at 9.93 s.[13] He also won the 200 m gold at Incheon. He set a further Asian record at the 2015 Asian Athletics Championships by winning the 100 m in a time of 9.91 seconds, having already broken the championship record with a run of 9.97 seconds in the semi-finals.[14]

His name Femi is a Yoruba translation[15] pronounced "F-eh-mi" and means "love me" or "marry me". His younger brother, Tosin Ogunode, is also a sprinter for Qatar.[16] Ogunode's four brothers all live in Doha, Qatar and his four sisters are married and settled in Nigeria. He has a son named Femi Nathan.[8]

Ogunode's father, T S B Ogunode, was a boxer and his mother, Adesola Ogunode, was a sprinter. Before focusing on running, Ogunode boxed and played football. He was a successful youth boxer and competed in state-level championships.[8]