• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home IAAF Diamond League

Chijindu Ujah: Stuart Weir writes about this fine British sprinter

Stuart Weirby Stuart Weir
August 25, 2017
0
0 0
0
SHARES
5
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Ujah-Simbine-Gatlin-Zurich17.jpgCJ Ujah won the 100 meters against a tough crowd, photo by PhotoRun.net

RunBlogRun opines: In this third column on the WeltklasseZH by Stuart Weir, I was impressed by the sense of humanity he notes with CJ. I have observed this sprinter before, but never interviewed him. I want to though, as the British athletes have different challenges than the American athletes, and that is part of what makes this sport fascinating.

RelatedPosts

In her first trip back to Eugene, Francine Niyonsaba Wins the Prefontaine Classic 2 mile in the Second Fastest Time Ever: 9:00.75, By Matt Wisner , for RunBlogRun

Mondo Duplantis’ next competition will be Ostrava Golden Spike on May 19

RunBlogRun Deep Archives: David Oliver at the Pre Classic (May 2011), a video by the Shoe Addicts!

Stuart will be covering Brussels and Newcastle for us, I look forward to reading our friend’s observations on those two fine end of season events.

Chijindu Ujah, by Stuart Weir

CJ was the surprise winner of the Diamond League 100 meters, beating Ben Youssef Meite by one thousands of a second in 9.97. CJ described it as “I redeemed myself” in what had been an “amazing season”.

I feel well qualified to write about CJ, having seen him run in the World relays in Bahamas, Rome DL (winner), Oslo DL (second), European Team Championships in France, London DL (winner), Monaco DL (fourth) and Birmingham DL (winner) as well as the World Champs, UK Champs etc this year.

For someone who had won four Diamond League 100s (five including Zὕrich), plus, a gold medal in the 4 by 100 relay at the 2017 World Championships, to feel the need to redeem himself says a lot about the man. He is referring to the fact that in London 2017 – as he had done in Rio 2016 – he was the fastest man not to make the 100m final. His celebrations in Zὕrich were tinged with disappointment as his first comment afterwards was, “It is a shame I did not get it done at World Champs”.

Still only 23, he comes across as confident but not arrogant, making comments like: “I knew what I was capable of” and “all season that I have been in good shape and I proved myself today” and “I knew I could win tonight”. At the same time he realistically admitted that: “Any one of the seven guys could have won it”.

Some athletes make it all sound very complex. With CJ it is all about simplicity: “My coach said of tonight ‘The person who makes the least mistakes wins the race’ and I did that”. His race plan for the Diamond League final was “Keep in smooth, keep it simple”.

His attitude to beating the USA and winning relay gold was typically feet on the ground, don’t get carried away: “Winning the relay at London 2017 was nice but I needed to make sure the next few races were good”.

He was also very aware of who he was running against in Justin Gatlin and Asafa Powell: “I watched some of these guys in the Golden League and Diamond League and now it is amazing to run against them and rub shoulders with them and now to get the victory shows where I am heading in the next couple of years”.

That was his last race of the season. Time to rest and then prepare for 2018 where he will target the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham in March, the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April and the European Championships in Berlin in August. Winning all three might be a tall order so the down to earth Ujah says “I want to win at least two of the three”. And who would bet against it.

Author

  • Stuart Weir

    Since 2015, Stuart Weir has written for RunBlogRun. He attends about 20 events a year including all most global championships and Diamond Leagues. He enjoys finding the quirky and obscure story.

    View all posts
Previous Post

“Run Barbados” Celebrates an Incredible 35 years!

Next Post

GB women’s sprint relay running – a short history: Stuart Weir writes on the changing confidence of GBR team

Stuart Weir

Stuart Weir

Since 2015, Stuart Weir has written for RunBlogRun. He attends about 20 events a year including all most global championships and Diamond Leagues. He enjoys finding the quirky and obscure story.

Similar Post

Night of the British PRs – and a National record.
Uncategorized

Night of the British PRs – and a National record.

June 13, 2025
All Diamond Leagues are equal but some are more equal than others
Diamond League

All Diamond Leagues are equal but some are more equal than others

June 13, 2025
Six take-aways from the Golden Gala (Golden Gala Roma 2025)
Coffee With Larry

Coffee with Larry, June 11, 2025, Some thoughts on Rome, Oslo Diamond League

June 13, 2025
This Day in Track & Field, June 12, Walter Tewksbury was first American to break 11 seconds (1900), Kjell Isaksson sets PV WR (1972), written by Walt Murphy
Athletic History

This Day in Track & Field, June 12, Walter Tewksbury was first American to break 11 seconds (1900), Kjell Isaksson sets PV WR (1972), written by Walt Murphy

June 13, 2025
Viva Italia (Golden Gala Roma, June 6, 2025)
Spring Training

2025 Spring Racing/Training Program, June 12, 2025, week 13, day 4, Second week of sharpening, Second week, transition from track to cross country.

June 13, 2025
Coffee with Larry, Bauhaus Stockholm was a rainy success, but what about the protesters?
Diamond League

300m hurdles clash, 5000m WR attempt, Alfred’s 100m debut, and … Mondo (Preview of Oslo Diamond League)

June 12, 2025

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to RunBlogRun's Global News Feed

Wake up to RunBlogRun’s news in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed about the Sport you love.

*we hate spam as much as you do

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

April 5, 2023
2023 Nike Pre Classic: Two Amazing Days of Track & Field!

Noah Lyles, The Clock Doesn’t Lie

March 7, 2024
USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

February 6, 2025
Grand Slam Track’s Kingston Slam Comes to a Close with 12 Slam Champions

2025 Spring Racing/Training Program, April 11, 2025, week 4, day 5, fourth week of year, Friday is an easy day!

April 12, 2025
Mondo Duplantis and the Jump that made him the greatest of all time

Mondo Duplantis and the Jump that made him the greatest of all time

8
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

7
My Five Biggest Takeaways from the Men’s Olympic Trials Marathon, by Oliver Hinson

My Five Biggest Takeaways from the Men’s Olympic Trials Marathon, by Oliver Hinson

7
Asafa Powell, Considering Longevity in Sprinting

The RunBlogrun Interview: Asafa Powell

5
Night of the British PRs – and a National record.

Night of the British PRs – and a National record.

June 13, 2025
All Diamond Leagues are equal but some are more equal than others

All Diamond Leagues are equal but some are more equal than others

June 13, 2025
Six take-aways from the Golden Gala (Golden Gala Roma 2025)

Coffee with Larry, June 11, 2025, Some thoughts on Rome, Oslo Diamond League

June 13, 2025
This Day in Track & Field, June 12, Walter Tewksbury was first American to break 11 seconds (1900), Kjell Isaksson sets PV WR (1972), written by Walt Murphy

This Day in Track & Field, June 12, Walter Tewksbury was first American to break 11 seconds (1900), Kjell Isaksson sets PV WR (1972), written by Walt Murphy

June 13, 2025

Popular Stories

  • Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

    Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Noah Lyles, The Clock Doesn’t Lie

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 2025 Spring Racing/Training Program, April 11, 2025, week 4, day 5, fourth week of year, Friday is an easy day!

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • An epic pole vault competition

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Night of the British PRs – and a National record.
Uncategorized

Night of the British PRs – and a National record.

June 13, 2025
All Diamond Leagues are equal but some are more equal than others
Diamond League

All Diamond Leagues are equal but some are more equal than others

June 13, 2025
Six take-aways from the Golden Gala (Golden Gala Roma 2025)
Coffee With Larry

Coffee with Larry, June 11, 2025, Some thoughts on Rome, Oslo Diamond League

June 13, 2025
This Day in Track & Field, June 12, Walter Tewksbury was first American to break 11 seconds (1900), Kjell Isaksson sets PV WR (1972), written by Walt Murphy
Athletic History

This Day in Track & Field, June 12, Walter Tewksbury was first American to break 11 seconds (1900), Kjell Isaksson sets PV WR (1972), written by Walt Murphy

June 13, 2025

Recent Tweets

Next Post

GB women's sprint relay running - a short history: Stuart Weir writes on the changing confidence of GBR team

runblogrun

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. @runblogrun

Browse by Category

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

Select a password for yourself. (minimum length of 8)

Paste here the user biography.

Provide here the twitter screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the instagram screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the facebook profile URL. i.e. http://www.facebook.com/RunBlogRun

Provide here the linkedin profile URL. i.e. https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-eder-5497253

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved