University of Florida freshman, Adekunle Fasasi will not compete at the forthcoming World Indoor Championships in Portland despite meeting the qualifying standard and making the Nigerian team to the competition.
Fasasi was one of the 17 athletes selected by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to execute the championship holding from March 17 to 20 at the Oregon Convention Centre.
He was meant to compete in the 400m and 4x400m and recently qualified for the competition after posting 46.60s in the men’s 400m at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in Arkansas.
However, he had to pull out of the competition owing to his coaches’ decision and obligations to his school, especially with the NCAA coming up the weekend before World Indoors and the outdoor season starting a week after the Portland Championships.
Fasasi said, “The coaches’ decision is that I can’t go. I would have loved to be there because I’ve never been to the World Indoors before, but everything happens for a reason. This is an Olympic year and it remains a priority for me to compete in Rio.”
