Born on December 17, 1963, Yinka Lawal (nee Omowole) made a foray into sports at a tender age, at a time many of her peers would have been wondering what they stood to achieve from participating in sports. At the age of 12, her passion for sports grew and she walked her way into international stardom after eventually honing her skill at the modern school, secondary school, the university and the state and national camps.Though she became known for her achievements in handball, she could, however, be described as a versatile athlete what with her medals in the 100 metres, long jump and relay races. She was so good that she started playing for the national handball team while in secondary school, endearing herself to the established players in the team. Lawal, who said she was not one to shy away from any challenge,told ADEYINKA ADEDIPE that her inability to participate in the Olympics was a big drawback in her career.LAWAL'S success in sports was not by happenstance. She came from a sporting family and was poised to achieve great things after tasting victories in her school days. Her late father, Francis Ayodele Omowole, who became a forest guard, was a renowned athlete and a footballer in Ondo State, while her siblings - Funmi, Iyabo, Yemi and Tunde - also took part in one sport or the other before moving on to other things.But for Yinka, nothing separated her from her desire to become a great sports star and she set out to achieve her aim meticulously without losing sight of her education. Her first contact with sports was at the Methodist Primary School, Ode Aiye in Okiti Pupa, Ondo State, where she took to long jump and athletics in Primary Five in 1971.Before long, she became a master of the new act and was the toast of her school and the community, though, according to her, she did sports just for the fun of it at that time: 'My primary school was the first place I got in contact with sports,' she revealed. 'My specialty was high jump and athletics and surprisingly I became adept in these events shortly after I started doing them.'We did sports just for the fun of it. It was not as if we had a programme but each time we were called out to run, it gave me a lot of joy. The annual inter-house sports was a good hunting ground for me as I won gold in the jumps and athletics and became the darling of my mates.'It was my performance that caught the eye of the state's team selectors who came to our zone to seek fresh talents for the state team. But it wasn't until 1973 when I got into Methodist Secondary Modern School in Ode Aiye that I got into the state team.'At Methodist Modern School, she continued doing sports while ensuring her regularity in the classroom with her mates. She studied hard and many wondered how she made time out to compete in sports. She immediately became the toast of her new classmates, who marvelled at her sporting prowess. She also dominated in her events in the sports meets and was always willing to lend a helping hand to others who wanted to be like her on the field.Lawal's big break came when the state sent coaches to all the zones in search of talents to represent the state in school sports competitions and ultimately the National Sports Festival. She explained: 'At the modern school, coach Odumakin came to search for talent. He and one other coach held ropes at both ends, which I jumped without much hassles. That was how I was invited to the state camp in Akure, which we attended every weekend.'While in camp, I met the likes of Kehinde Bajowa, who also did high jump, Vero Omolegan, Lanre Jenkins, Grace Egbukunyo, who did 400 metres, and Elizabeth Agagu. I also met the likes of Lawrence Adegbeingbe and Isiaka Adejanju, both of whom became national and international stars. Some of them were senior athletes and I learnt a lot from them.'According to Lawal, 'the state team had the opportunity of competing in the old Western Region and I travelled to places like Ibadan and Ife in search of honours. I came back victorious and also represented the Western Region at national championships.' She also earned herself the name, State Girl.After Lawal left the Modern School in 1976, her father wanted her to further her education in the Teachers Training College (TTC). But opposed to this arrangement, she had to stay at home for sometime before providence brought her in contact with Rev. Fr. Tolan, a teacher and games master at Stella Maris College, Okiti Pupa.'I was standing in front of my house one day when some students were passing with Rev. Fr. Tolan and he asked me what I was doing at home. I explained my plight to him and he offered me admission into Stella Maris, which I grabbed with both hands after my father's consent. I moved over to the school and was admitted into form two.'I was also given free accommodation in the boarding house. I continued with running, high jump and also did long jump and was a member of the relay teams.'At Stella Maris, she attended zonal school sports competition in Okiti Pupa, where she won medals and also emerged champion in five events at the state final in Ondo State. She disclosed further: 'I had a good time at Stella Maris and can say that was where I developed as an athlete and a student.'Lawal must have thought she was on the road to international stardom through athletics but did not realise that what would earn her national recognition was knocking at her door. In 1978, while still at Stella Maris, coach Clara Udofia was in Okiti Pupa to introduce handball to schools in the area. According to her, Udofia would take them from their school to Methodist High School where she thought them the rudiments of the new game.Before long, Lawal was among the first group of students who became adept in the game and she was handed her school captain's armband. She said: 'When Udofia came, we all marvelled at the new game but I was ready to learn, which I did quite fast. We were taught the art of shooting, passing, defending and the steps to take on the court. After the tutelage, my school became number one in the zone and we recorded victories over Methodist High School.'I played in the team with Jumoke Olaniyan, Vero Etamesa, Grace Akinya, Matilda Akinfolarin, Funmilayo Akinyemi and late Clara Ademulegun, among others. It was an exciting time for us because my school was strong in handball,' she added.While still in school, Lawal represented the Okiti Pupa Zone in the maiden Ondo State Spots Festival in 1978. She took part in handball, high jump, long jump, the 100 and 200 metres and relays, winning gold in all the events. It was not an easy task as she moved from one event to the other, picking up the top prize. She noted: 'It wasn't an easy task but the exposure I got prepared me for the task ahead.'Her father, according to her, was very happy after the feat she achieved and encouraged her to do better: 'After winning many gold medals, I was given the name State Girl and my father was so proud of me that he began to encourage me.'The next stop for Lawal was the National Sports Festival (NSF) in Oyo State, tagged Oluyole '79, where she competed for honours in Ondo State colours. She did not win any medal but continued working her way to the top. He performance also earned her a call-up to the national team as a junior player.At this point, her studies started to suffer as a series of camping and national team assignments took toll on her education. She also tasted her first national assignment at the All African Handball Championship in Cotonou, Benin Republic, where the Nigerian team lost 20-21 to Congo.'It was an eye opener for me playing among the best in Africa. It was also at a time we had Gen. Ishola Williams (rtd) at the helms of affairs in the Nigeria Handball Association, who was dedicated to the development of the game,' she added.In 1981, Lawal left Stella Maris and immediately and was employed by the Ondo State Government, by which time she became a part of the handball national team while also competing in the field and tracks for Ondo in the NSF. She was also at the 1981 NSF in the old Bendel State, where she picked silver medal in high jump but failed once again in handball.In 1983, she joined the big girls to play for Nigeria at the sixth African Handball Championship in Cairo, Egypt. She had team-mates like Aluma Abia, Toyin Aluko, Kehinde Adeyemi, Mary Nwachukwu, Callister Ubah and many others, most of whom were her seniors in the team. According to her, it was a very good experience for he and she was very delighted to be part of the team.She took some time off in sports and enrolled for a diploma programme in Physical and Health Education at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) from 1983-85. Her admission presented a fresh challenge, which she grabbed with both hands, noting: 'At UNIBEN, I represented the school at the NUGA Games in 1984 at the University of Ife and won five gold medals in handball, long jump, high jump, the 4X100 and 4X400 metres races. I was honoured by the university authority after the feat.'Once again, it was very challenging combining my studies with sports at the university but I got by and finished with a good result. I must thank God for this because at some point it looked as if I would not be able to complete the course.'After leaving UNIBEN, she went back to the Ondo State Sports Council and again represented the state at Rivers '88 NSF, picking a bronze medal in high jump, though she also did handball. After the NSF in Bauchi, Lawal got married in 1991 after, which she was transferred to the coaching department in handball. There she worked with coaches Udofia, Adebayo Stephen, Bolu Fangbebe and Oluro Oladeji.Despite being in the coaching department, she still played for the state's handball team but a disagreement with Udofia soon put clog in her wheel of progress. She explained: 'The misunderstanding I had with Udofia eventually cost me my job in 1992. She reported to the authorities that I was no longer productive and I was sacked with some others in 1992.'But she was re-employed in 1993 and taken to the organising department of the state's sports council, where she was made secretary of the Ondo State Handball Association and Owena Queens when it was formed. According to her, 'when Owena Queens was formed, I became the secretary. Initially, it was tough for the team but after about three years, we started finishing in the medal zone, though we were yet to win the league but we have also finished second a couple of times.'Lawal not only worked in the handball association, she also worked with judo, karate, weightlifting, squash, badminton, female football and gymnastics. Of her experience, she spoke further: 'Working with all these associations gave me a lot of ideas about many other sports which I didn't take part in as an athlete.'She, however, said her greatest regret was not representing Nigeria at the Olympic Games and that if she had an opportunity to roll back the years, she would love to be an athlete once again.
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