"I'mgonna be in the Olympics one day. Just u wait."
Edose Ibadin tweeted his prophecy in January of 2012, halfway through his freshman year at Hampton. The 800-meter track athlete had only received one offer coming out of high school. Nonetheless, Ibadin manifested an Olympic dream on a social-media stage, open for the public to see.
Twelve years later, Ibadin made good on his tweet, earning a bid to compete for Nigeria in the Paris Olympics.
"People might have looked at me crazy, but now it's actually happened," he said. "(It shows) the power of words and the power of just having faith in what you believe in."
Early on in his career at Hampton, Ibadin struggled to adjust to college athletics. Balancinga new environment, training schedule and academics was difficult for him. Like many college athletes, Ibadin had been a phenomenal high school athlete, earning state titles and other accolades. Now, he found himself starting over.
"When I got to college I was just not performing as well, so I wasreally downon myself. I realized that I would ride the highsreally high, but then when the lows came, they were really,really low."
Ibadin realized in those moments that he talked negatively to himself. He made the decision to intentionally work on positive self-talk.
"I noticed the times where there were bits of negative self-talk, I was able to quickly counter with something positive, and just have that shift in mindset and shift in perspective," the now 31-year-old said. "I believe words are extremely powerful."
From there, Ibadin's performance flourishedatHampton. He earned two All-America honors in the 800-meter run and 4x400-meter relay, and he set and rebroke the school record for the 800.
Ibadin also took advantage of the academic opportunities the historically Black university offered. His professors taught the importance of networking, instilled lessons of discipline, and modeled embracing adaptability and change.
"I learned so much, not only by myself, but just about life, coming from an HBCU," said Ibadin, who earned his degree in electrical engineering. "I'm definitely grateful for that experience. (Going to an) HBCU was my journey to get here."
After his graduation from Hampton, Ibadin continued to work toward his dream of becoming an Olympian. When he began his professional track career, he struggled with bad performances. Naturally, he went back to his old friend: positive self-talk.
"Even when times were bad, still having that belief and the self-confidence to know I can still do this. The results might not show up right now; I know I'm still a monster on the track."
Twelve years after his tweet, Ibadin'shard work, positive self-talk, and confidence worked: In Paris, he will represent Nigeria in the 800-meter race, with competition starting Wednesday.
"A lot of Nigerians, we move in excellence, and we take what we do very seriously," Ibadin said. "When I represent Nigeria, I'm representing my family. … I come from a big Nigerian community in Maryland, so it feels like I'm representing everyone throughout my whole life when I put that green, white, green on my chest."
Reflecting on his journey to the biggest international stage, Ibadin spoke of the importance of betting on himself, even through adversity and external doubt.
I always envisioned myself being at this level," he said. "I think that's one of the few reasons why I was able to make the Olympics."