Athletics: Eddie Osei-Nketia reveals career change a year in the making as he ditches track for American football

Eddie Osei-Nketia will join the University of Hawai'i to play American football. Photo / Photosport

When opportunity came knocking, Eddie Osei-Nketia opened the door.

The Kiwi sprinter will trade the track for the turf in 2023, leaving athletics behind to join the American football programme at the University of Hawai’i.

The move appears to all but draw a close to an eventful career on the track for the 21-year-old star, who has captured headlines throughout his athletics career.

Among the most notable, he beat his father’s 28-year-old 100m New Zealand record earlier this year with a blistering 10.08s effort, while his non-selections for both the Tokyo Olympic Games and Birmingham Commonwealth Games were also well-documented.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB, Osei-Nketia said he didn’t think about the non-selections anymore, but he admitted a lot of hurt came from those situations at the time.

“I just put it behind me and move on. It sucks and it came to a point at the end of the year that I accepted it is what it is and that I just have to work harder,” he said.

“But you could say being in athletics after all the non-selections, it didn’t make me happy seeing the other sprinters being on the big stage while you’re just sitting home watching them. That’s the part that really hurt me and made me miserable.”

Osei-Nketia’s 10.08s personal best would’ve been good enough for silver at the Birmingham Games this year, but he failed to meet Athletics NZ’s strict standards (his record-breaking run coming after the selection criteria), while he qualified for the Tokyo Olympics based on world ranking but was not selected by the New Zealand Olympic Committee to represent the country.

Osei-Nketia said he did not make contact with Athletics New Zealand before news of his next career move came to light, leaving the organisation to find out with the rest of the world when he confirmed the move on social media.

A move away from athletics hasn’t been a spur of the moment decision.

Last year, he had plans to visit Christchurch and try to earn a spot with the Crusaders. However, ultimately, American football was the most intriguing route to pursue after a scout had shown some interest following the Tokyo Games.

“It was at the wrong time because I was going to go back to Christchurch and focus on trying to make the Crusaders, but Covid got in the way,” Osei-Nketia said.

“In November last year, it popped up back into my mind again and I was like ‘hold up, we’ve got to take this opportunity.’ So, I contacted him again saying I was interested in taking the NFL international pathway. A month later, he got a job at the University of Hawai’i and asked if I want to play college football.”

“Honestly, after I got the (NZ) record, I felt like that was just something I had wanted to get my whole life – get my old man’s record. I feel like now that I finally got the record, I can choose what I’ve been desiring for a while now. I chose the American Football pathway and, besides, I love America, I love Hawai’i too. I’ve always dreamed of going to either one and I’m going to both which is a blessing.”

Osei-Nketia will head to Hawaii in June 2023 which will see him have one more season competing in athletics meets, mostly in Australia where he is based.

He will study physical education and teaching while in Hawai’i, and joins the programme eager to test himself against the top level of competition, with the University of Hawai’i playing in the division 1 competition.

Although he was preparing for a new chapter of his life, he said he wasn’t closing the door on a return to the track entirely just yet.

“For now, athletics is not closed. Maybe I could do Paris, but we’ll just have to see how college football goes.”