He also set several standards with the throw: Barton Hall record,38-year old school indoor record and the longest throw in the NCAA so far this season.
Mozia was born in the USA to Nigerian parents. He holds a dual citizenship which means he
can choose to compete for either Nigeria,his parents country or the USA,his country of
birth.
Mozia has competed for the USA at the junior level.He wore the American shirt two years
ago in Barcelona,Spain at the 14th IAAF World Junior Championships where he finished
10th (19.45m) in the shot put event.
The new rave of the moment is however looking to switch allegiance to his country of
origin from his country of birth.
He says his sights is set on qualifying for the 2016 Olympics as a member of the Nigerian national team.
“There are so many great throwers in the United States and, like, no great throwers in Nigeria, so it increases my chance of making it,” he said in a report in Pressconnects.com.
The Athletic Federation of Nigeria through its president,Solomon Ogba has already allocated a place to Mozia in the Nigerian team going for the IAAF World IndoorChampionships in Sopot,Poland early next month,a move that may have come too early if the IAAF Rules on eligibility of athletes are strictly enforced.
IAAF Rule 5.4(e) clearly states that Mozia,having wore USA's shirt in 2012 cannot compete for Nigeria until after three years from the date he last competed for his previous country if he holds a dual citizenship.
The rule is however not cast in stone as he has given the AFN the chance to get around it only if the United States Track and Field Association (USTAF) agrees.
This is what IAAF Rule 5.4(e) on Dual Citizenship says:if an athlete holds Citizenship of two (or more) Countries (or Territories), he may represent the Member of either (or any) of them, as he may elect.
However, having once represented his elected Member in an International Competition under Rule 1.1(a), (b), (c), (f) or (g), he shall not represent another member of which he is a Citizen for a period of three years from the date that he last represented the first elected Member. This period may be reduced or cancelled as set out below:
(i)the period may be reduced to 12 months with the agreement of the Members concerned. The reduction shall be effective upon receipt by the IAAF Office of a written notification of the Members’ agreement;
(ii)the period may be reduced or cancelled in exceptional cases by the Council. An application for a reduction or cancellation must be submitted by the relevant Member in writing to the IAAF Office at least 30 days before the International Competition in question.
The application of this sub-paragraph is limited to athletes who were born with dual citizenship. An athlete who holds Citizenship of two or more Countries (or Territories) by virtue of the fact that he has acquired a new Citizenship (for example, through marriage) without relinquishing his Citizenship of birth is subject to the provisions of Rule 5.4(d) above.
From the foregoing,Mozia can only represent Nigeria in Sopot if the USTAF agrees to let go an exceptional talent that is creating waves in the collegiate circuit in America.
If USTAF fails to agree,then Mozia will only be eligible to start competing for Nigeria from 2015 at the 15th IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.
The Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil in 2016 seems to be the real deal for the Delta-state-born athlete.
“Yes, I definitely want to go the Olympics. I decided to compete for Nigeria, so qualifying would be easier, but as long as I stay healthy, I definitely see it in my future,” Mozia said in an interview in The Cornel Daily Sun.
The newspaper described him as the true embodiment of hard work and perseverance. He is an incredibly humble and spiritual individual who will continue to reach new levels of success.
When asked by the newspaper what he does to pump himself up for a meet, Mozia simply responded, “I just listen to music and pray.”
No comments:
Post a Comment