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The untold story of how coach Rana Reider sabotaged Divine Oduduru’s winning chances before and at Tokyo 2021 Olympics.

Two years after the controversial ban of Divine Oduduru by the AIU, the Nigerian sprinter has detailed how he was sabotaged before and at the Tokyo Olympics by coach Rana Reiner.

In 2023, Oduduru was slammed with a six-year ban by the AIU for violations, possession of prohibited substances, and attempted use of a prohibited substance or method in relation to Blessing Okagbare and Lira’s case, of which he maintains his innocence.

Following years of silence and four suicidal attempts, the 28-year-old finally broke his silence in a recent interview with BOLD Sports, where he spilled out a lot of things.

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From when he signed with Puma, to being forced to join Reider’s group at Tumbleweed, and how the American coach sabotaged his chances of medalling at the Tokyo Olympics because of his favouritism for Andre De Grasse, Oduduru didn’t hold back on his revelation.

“When I signed with Puma, I was still with my former coach. Then my agent said Puma requested that I should go train with a specific coach and I said I don’t want to train with him because he’s not used to my system, he doesn’t know how my program goes,” he said.

“I think before I actually came to the group, the coach already condemned me, he was like he doesn’t even like me, but my own is why will Paul and Puma say I should go train with someone that doesn’t really want to train me?”

The former NCAA standout athlete with 100m best time of 9.86s and 19.73s in the 200m, also revealed how coach Reider made every effort to stall his progress as a sprinter and showed favouritism to his preferred athletes, especially Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse.

“From the onset, I always had issues with him. He told me he was going to stab and kill me and that nothing is going to happen. He saw be vulnerable and he saw the fact that nobody will question him…

“I got hurt in practice. I was doing a workout, we were doing the sprint and I hurt my hamstring, and I started getting treatment from the team. My coach looked at me and said: Why are you pretending that you’re hurt? But if it was De Grasse that was hurt, everybody will leave what they’re doing to go focus on him,” said the 2014 world junior 200m silver medallist.

“Should I surprise you? I was told to my face that it wasn’t my year to win an Olympics, that it was De Grasse they were preparing to win the Olympics,” he revealed.

Digressing to when he was hurt in training, the Nigerian 200m record holder said: “When I hurt my hamstring, he said it was good for me that now I’ve learned my lessons. Athletes were running fast in my group except for one person, but suddenly the same people who were running fast, American athletes, none of them could run fast at the Olympics. Then the same person who was not in shape the whole season won the Olympics (referring to De Grasse).

“When I got to the Olympics to tell you how funny this is, do you know that the coach did not warm me up for my race. Reider did not warm me up, because me and De Grasse were in the same heat in the 200m. So he was with him and the other trainer walked up to me and be like ‘Divine I know you’re angry, you have a race to run, okay do you want us to work together?’ and he took me through my warm-up and all of that.

Oduduru signed with Puma in 2019 after his viral semifinal race with Usain Bolt at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Two years later his famous embrace with the track legend, he dominated the US college circuit by becoming the double sprint champion.

At the Tokyo Olympics, he was disqualified for a false start in his 100m heat race but qualified and competed in the 200m semifinals. De Grasse would head on to win the Olympic 200m gold medal ahead of Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles.