Chika Chukwumerije

{{MedalCountry | {{Flagu|Nigeria}} }}

Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije (born 30 December 1983) is a male taekwondo practitioner from Nigeria. The son of Nigerian politician Uche Chukwumerije, Chika first drew attention in 2003 during the qualifiers for the 2003 All-Africa Games, where he eventually won a bronze medal in the Heavyweight Male category. He qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, but lost his first bout to Pascal Gentil, the eventual bronze medal winner. Nevertheless, after a period of intensive training that was funded by his father, he became one of Nigeria's best chances for a medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He won a gold medal at the 2007 All-Africa Games in the +80 kg class and qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games soon after. Although he lost to eventual silver-medal winner Alexandros Nikolaidis in the semifinals of the +80kg event, he was entered into the repechage round of the tournament. Here, after defeating Akmal Irgashev of Uzbekistan he claimed a bronze medal in the event, Nigeria's third medal of the tournament. Four years later he competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics, but did not make it past his first bout.

Early life

Chukwumerije was born on 30 December 1983 in Nigeria.{{cite web|last = Gjerde|first = Arild|author2=Jeroen Heijmans |author3=Bill Mallon |author4=Hilary Evans |title = Chika Chukwumerije Biography and Olympic Results|work=Olympics|publisher=Sports Reference.com|date = 2012|url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ch/chika-chukwumerije-1.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418064842/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ch/chika-chukwumerije-1.html|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2020-04-18|accessdate = 2012-10-02}} His father, Uche Chukwumerije, was a national senator and Information Minister of Nigeria.{{cite web|last = Salami|first = Adekunle|title = Chukwumerije steps out|publisher = Punch|date = 2008-08-23|url = http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200808231462675|accessdate = 2008-08-23}}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Chika had his primary education at St. Jude's Private School in Festac Town, Lagos and received his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) in Nigeria in 2005.{{cite news|title = Nigeria: Chukwumerije Dreams Olympic Gold|publisher=allAfrica.com|date = 2007-09-27|url = http://allafrica.com/stories/200709280439.html|accessdate = 2008-08-23}} During this time he competed in taekwondo at three University Games held by the Nigerian University Games Association, winning bronze in 2000 and gold in 2002 and 2004. He first became a national champion in 2002 and held the title through 2011, undefeated in nine years.{{cite web|title = CEO/FOUNDER PROFILE|work = About CCSF|publisher = Chika Chukwumerije Sports Foundation|date = 2012|url = http://ccsf-ng.org/?page_id=36|accessdate = 2012-10-03|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120508050915/http://ccsf-ng.org/?page_id=36|archive-date = 8 May 2012|url-status = dead}}

International career

Chukwumerije first garnered attention while training for the 2003 All-Africa Games that were held in Abuja, Nigeria. During the qualifications, he and partner Friday Dirisu fought hard against Lucky Ojemudia and Micheal Obiora to win the two spots in their weight categories.{{cite news|last = Ajayi|first = Boye|title = Chukumerijie's Son Causes Ripples in Camp|work=THISDAYSports|publisher=Asia Africa Intelligence Wire|date = 2004-07-23}} He won a bronze medal in the Heavyweight Male category, along with Ngala Munayi of Kenya.{{cite web|title = 8th AFRICAN TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS|publisher = Mudokwan|date = October 2003|url = http://www.mudokwan.at/mdk/truthpages/africa8.htm|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110706093555/http://www.mudokwan.at/mdk/truthpages/africa8.htm|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2011-07-06|accessdate = 2008-08-23}}

Chukwumerije was chosen for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens at the Olympic qualifiers in Cairo, Egypt in late January 2004.{{cite news|last = Boye|first = Ajayi|title = Athens: TAN Picks Four for Cairo Qualifier|publisher = THISDAYSports|date = 2004-01-16|url = http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2004/01/18/20040118spo07.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040317034040/http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2004/01/18/20040118spo07.html|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2004-03-17|accessdate = 2008-08-23}} He came in second in the regional qualifications, behind only Abdelkader Zrouri of Morocco.{{cite web|title = RESULTS 2002–2004|publisher = WTF OLYMPIC TAEKWONDO|date = 2004|url = http://www.taekwondoplayers.20m.com/shopping_page.html|accessdate = 2008-08-23}} He finished in 11th place in the men's +80 kg event after failing to advance beyond the preliminary round. He was defeated by Pascal Gentil of France, the eventual bronze medalist in the event.{{cite news|title = Results – Taekwondo : over 80 kg|work=Olympics 2004|publisher=BBC |date = 2004-08-12|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/martial_arts/results/3534268.stm|accessdate = 2008-08-23}} Despite this, he was considered by several sources to be one of Nigeria's best medal prospects at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, citing the amount of training he had undertaken and the experience that he had gained since the last Olympics.{{cite news|last = Lanipekun|first = Fabio|title = Beijing Olympics: Nigeria's realistic prospects (III)|publisher=The Sunday Tribune|date = 2008-08-10}}{{cite news|title = Olympics: Senator Chukwumerije's son can give Nigeria elusive gold|work = International News|publisher = Afrique en ligne|date = 2008-08-21|url = http://www.afriquenligne.fr/olympics:-senator-chukwumerije's-son-can-give-nigeria-elusive-gold-2008082111186.html|accessdate = 2008-08-23}}{{dead link|date = August 2017|bot = InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted = yes}}{{cite news|last = Solaja|first = Femi|title = Nigeria: Taekwondo – Chukwumerije Holds the Key|publisher=allAfrica.com|date = 2008-07-24|url = http://allafrica.com/stories/200807240204.html|accessdate = 2008-08-23}} His father had paid for him, as well as fellow taekwondo practitioner Isa Adamu, to be trained in the United States and Europe and compete globally. This financial backing was unavailable to most other Nigerian athletes. Chukwumerije spent six weeks training in the United States, although the American embassy refused to grant his training partner Adamu a visa. They did, however, train together in Manchester and worked with coach Osita A. Green. They also trained in Taiwan and Germany.

At the 2007 All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria, both Chukwumerije and Adamu won gold medals in taekwondo, the former in the +80 kg class. They then headed to Tripoli, Libya, where they earned their qualification tickets for the Beijing Olympics.{{cite news|last = Solaja|first = Femi|title = Nigeria: Chukwumerije Bags Taekwondo Ticket|publisher=allAfrica.com|date = 2007-11-06|url = http://allafrica.com/stories/200711060769.html|accessdate = 2008-08-23}} Despite having lauded Nigerian athletes in the past, two days before his event, he proclaimed his "disappointment" at the performance of the Nigerian national team who, at that point, had not won a single medal at the games. He did, however, praise the Nigeria national football team, who ended up in second place in the men's tournament.{{cite news|title = Argentina wins gold again in Men's Football|work = Football|publisher = The official website of the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games|date = 2008-08-23|url = http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/football/n214577861.shtml|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080824143246/http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/football/n214577861.shtml|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2008-08-24|accessdate = 2008-08-23}} The next day, however, Nigeria won bronze medals in the women's 4x100 metre relay{{cite news|title = Jamaica stumbles, Russia sprints to Women's 4 x 100m victory|work = Athletics|publisher = The official website of the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games|date = 2008-08-22|url = http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/athletics/n214575727.shtml|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080823195359/http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/athletics/n214575727.shtml|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2008-08-23|accessdate = 2008-08-23}} and the women's long jump.{{cite news|title = Women's Long Jump: Maggi ends Lebedeva's reign|work = Athletics|publisher = The official website of the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games|date = 2008-08-22|url = http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/athletics/n214575494.shtml|accessdate = 2008-08-23|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080901183149/http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/athletics/n214575494.shtml |archivedate=September 1, 2008 }}

Competing in the men's +80kg event, Chukwumerije defeated Vietnam's Nguyen Van Hung in the preliminary rounds.{{cite web|title = Nguyen Van Hung|work = Athlete Biography|publisher = The official website of the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games|date = 2008-08-23|url = http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/9/240479.shtml|accessdate = 2008-08-23|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080813151935/http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/9/240479.shtml|archivedate=2008-08-13}} He defeated Mali's Daba Modibo Keïta in the quarterfinals, but lost to Greece's Alexandros Nikolaidis, the eventual silver medal winner in the event. In the repechage, he defeated Akmal Irgashev of Uzbekistan to claim one of two bronze medals. The other went to Arman Chilmanov of Kazakhstan.{{cite news|title = Taekwondo Day 4 Review: Debutants crowned in an eventful day|work = Taekwondo|publisher = The official website of the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games|date = 2008-08-23|url = http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/taekwondo/n214580486.shtml|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080824143108/http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/taekwondo/n214580486.shtml|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2008-08-24|accessdate = 2008-08-23}} In doing so, he earned an incentive offered by LG Electronics, who offered to furnish the home of any Nigerian Olympic competitor who won a medal.{{cite news|title = Nigeria: Chukwumerije Welcomes LG Challenge|publisher = allAfrica.com|date = 2007-11-20|url = http://allafrica.com/stories/200711201096.html|accessdate = 2008-08-23}}

An injury cost Chukwumerije his title at the 2011 All-Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique, where he settled for silver in the men's heavyweight category. He recovered from this problem,{{cite news|title = Nigeria: London 2012 - Chukwumerije Out of Taekwondo|newspaper = This Day Live|publisher = allAfrica.com|date = 2012-08-11|url = http://allafrica.com/stories/201208120301.html|accessdate = 2012-10-03}} but then sustained two fractures to his foot while qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics.{{cite news|last = Adewale|first = Kunle|title = Chukwumerije Yet to Decide on Rio 2016 Olympics|newspaper = This Day Live|publisher = Leaders & Company Limited|date = 2012-08-29|url = http://allafrica.com/stories/201208290440.html|accessdate = 2017-04-30}} At the London Games he participated in the men's +80kg division, but lost his first bout against Robelis Despaigne of Cuba, an eventual bronze medalist. He was also team captain at the 2014 Commonwealth taekwondo championships, where he won a silver medal after pulling out of the final against Mahama Cho of Great Britain due to injury.{{cite news|title = Nigeria: Taekwondo Federation Hails Nigeria's Commonwealth Outing|newspaper = The Guardian|location = Nigeria|date = 19 November 2014|url = https://allafrica.com/stories/201411200652.html|access-date = 13 December 2020}}

Personal life

In 2007 Chukwumerije was a contestant on Survivor Africa: Panama and was the fifth person to be voted out. In September 2009 he entered the University of Liverpool for a one-year degree program in Operations and Supply Chain Management and graduated in 2010 with a Master of Science degree. During his time there he was active in the institution's sporting culture and participated in volleyball, basketball, and taekwondo. In 2009 Chukwumerije was inducted into the World's Taekwondo Hall of Fame in New Jersey as an "Outstanding Male African Olympic Player".{{cite news|title = Another Feather For A Humble Olympian - Chika Chukwumerije|newspaper = The Guardian|date = 2009}} In October 2012 Nigeria hosted the first Chika Chukwumerije Sports Foundation international taekwondo championship to further the foundation's mission of producing world-class taekwondo practitioners from West Africa by combating "the lack of constant exposure to world class tournaments, training camps, equipment and training methodologies".{{cite news|last = Maduewesi|first = Chris|title = Chika Chukwumerije opens Taekwondo championship|publisher = Allsports Nigeria|date = 2012-10-01|url = http://allsports.com.ng/2012/10/01/chika-chukwumerije-opens-taekwondo-championship/|accessdate = 2012-10-03|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20121003010135/http://allsports.com.ng/2012/10/01/chika-chukwumerije-opens-taekwondo-championship/|archivedate = 3 October 2012}}