Onyia, now spanish

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end of season sale Watching the first leg of the IAAF Golden League in Oslo two weeks, I was completely astounded to see another Nigerian hurdler in Spanish colours.

This was not Glory Alozie, who ditched the country in 2001 after winning silver medal at the Sydney Olympics, but a young lovely talent - Josephine Onyia.

She came 5th in a modest 12.93seconds , but last week took the women's 100m hurdles at the 46th Zlata Tetra -Golden Spike, IAAF Grand Prix meet in Ostrava with 12.91 seconds.

Nigerian athletics technical director, Sunday Bada could only lament at another talent drain. He described change of nationality as another medal lost at next month's All Africa Games.

Bada told the Nigerian Daily Champion newspapers:

"Our athletes are leaving in great numbers, we must have to stem this trend otherwise that is how we would be losing our best athletics talents."

Onyia, who currently lives and trains with Alozie in Valencia has a season's best of 12.82 seconds over the 100m hurdles with a season's best of 12.82 seconds and will now represent her adopted country in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

So where do Africa go from here? should we simply resign that we will forever be losing our best talents to the developed and richer nations? what do you think is the way forward for Africa?

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