For Coach Jude Ihuarulam, Head of Parasports on the Abia State Sports activities Council, para powerlifting is way over a career — it’s a lifelong calling formed by sacrifice, persistence, and an unbreakable perception in human potential.
In a heartfelt dialog, the veteran coach opened up on the journey that has outlined his profession, one marked by immense challenges and historic triumphs.
With many years of expertise behind him, Coach Jude admitted that teaching para athletes comes with distinctive calls for, requiring not solely bodily preparation however deep emotional funding and mentorship.
“Teaching shouldn’t be simple,” he mentioned candidly. “Not all my athletes are but the kind of folks I need them to be, however I’m affected person with them.”
That persistence has paid off remarkably. Beneath his steering, Abia State has produced between seven and eight Paralympians, cementing his legacy as probably the most influential figures in Nigerian parasports. Since taking his first two athletes to competitors in 1998, Coach Jude has overseen the rise of Abia para powerlifting right into a dominant pressure, profitable over 100 medals, nearly all of them gold.
One second, nevertheless, stands out as essentially the most emotional of his storied profession — the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Coach Jude recalled how his athlete, Esther, suffered a extreme harm simply earlier than competitors. Medical examinations on the polyclinic dominated her out, with medical doctors declaring it inconceivable for her to compete. The decision was devastating.
“I cried in my coronary heart, though no tears got here out,” he recalled. “I used to be considering of returning to Abia State with nothing after 4 years, typically eight years, of preparation.”
What adopted was a defining lesson for the coach himself. Towards all odds and medical recommendation, Esther insisted on competing. Her dedication, braveness, and refusal to just accept defeat shifted every little thing.
“That was the second I realized from my very own athlete,” Coach Jude mentioned.
In a unprecedented flip of occasions, Esther lifted by means of ache and adversity to clinch a silver medal for Nigeria — injured however unbroken, turning despair into historical past.
Past medals, Coach Jude additionally acknowledged the robust institutional help that has helped parasports thrive in Abia State. He praised the state authorities for recognizing and rewarding Paralympians after their return from Paris, describing the present administration as one which has remodeled the sports activities panorama.
Fondly referring to Governor Alex Otti as “Dede Alex,” he famous that because the administration assumed workplace, “the face of sports activities has modified.”
He cited the profitable internet hosting of the Worldwide and African Para Badminton Championships on the Worldwide Convention Centre (ICC) as proof that Abia State has the capability to host main para powerlifting tournaments of comparable scale.
The Commissioner for Sports activities additionally earned excessive reward, with Coach Jude remarking that the official should be “very fortunate,” provided that Abia groups hardly ever return from competitions with out victories. He additional counseled the Director of Sports activities for his robust administrative management, describing him as a key pillar throughout the Sports activities Council.
Coach Jude concluded the dialog with a heartfelt prayer for the governor’s lengthy life and good well being, and for a future the place parasports in Abia State continues to develop, encourage, and uplift lives.
