Seaman was among world’s best sprinters (From Daily Echo)

Seaman was among world’s best sprinters

1:30pm Thursday 5th July 2012 in Fareham By Luke Tugby, Senior reporter

HE thought his involvement with the Olympic Games was over.

Able Seaman Olusoji Fasuba was formerly the fastest man in Africa, and one of the fastest men in the world, over 100 metres.

At the peak of his powers, back in 2004, Olusoji won an Olympic bronze medal in Athens, as part of the Nigerian 4x100m relay team that finished third behind Great Britain and the USA.

But after a succession of injuries ruled him out of the Beijing Games four years later, he thought his first experience of an Olympic Games would be his last.

Now Olusoji is preparing to stand beside the podium rather than on it, as an official flag raiser at London 2012.

Olusoji, 27, became a logistics specialist in the British Royal Navy, after joining back in May 2011.

It is a far cry from his time as a world-class sprinter, which also saw him win gold in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships, before going on to clock a 100 metre time of 9.85 seconds in 2006 – just 0.27 seconds slower than current world record holder Usain Bolt.

Olusoji told the Daily Echo: “Having competed as an athlete in an Olympics, it’s going to be great to be on the other side, raising the flag for medal winners.

“I was ranked fourth in the world and should have got a medal in Beijing, but I got injured just before the Olympics.

“When I left Beijing I never thought I would be coming back to the Olympics again, because I thought ‘that’s me over.’ But the Royal Navy has given me the opportunity again to come and raise the flag and I’m going to savour it.”