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Chiedozie Ogbene has not just adapted to the pace of the Premier League \u2013 he is setting it.<\/p>\n
The Luton winger is the fastest player in the top flight this season having studied Usain Bolt to perfect his style.<\/p>\n
He clocked 36.93kph \u2013 23mph \u2013 against Fulham in September and sits ahead of Wolves\u2019 Pedro Neto and Liverpool\u2019s Dominik Szoboszlai.<\/p>\n
On Sunday he faces last season\u2019s top speedster Kyle Walker, who hit 37.31kph, as Luton host Manchester City, although Ogbene\u2019s rise has not always been rapid.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kid you not, when I was younger I wouldn\u2019t win all the races, there were kids a lot faster than me,\u201d the Ireland international tells the PA news agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I was the fastest in the school but I wasn\u2019t the fastest in County Cork. Not being the fastest led me to think, why? What are the fastest doing?<\/p>\n
\u201cI used running to work on technique when I went back to Gaelic football or soccer but as I got older I developed a more powerful hunger for running.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d go to training to learn the mechanics but (athletics) competition wasn\u2019t something for me, unlike my brothers. I don\u2019t actually know what my official 100 metre time was.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was more light on my feet because I weighed less and was naturally skinny. It\u2019s when I got older, when I moved to Brentford, I started putting more muscle on and became quicker, more powerful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really like track and field and every now and then I like to put on the old Olympics, the 4x100m relays. I can\u2019t count how many times I\u2019ve watched the London 2012 relay final.<\/p>\n
\u201cBolt is obviously someone I loved, the way he runs, his mechanics, but obviously I\u2019m not six foot five so I don\u2019t try to hyperextend the way he can. I just love the way he is. He\u2019s like a piston.<\/p>\n
\u201cSprinters advise to run at 90 to 95 per cent, they don\u2019t try to run at 100 per cent. If you get to 100 per cent you stress yourself.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 90 per cent rule it\u2019s called. At 90 per cent you\u2019re telling your brain, \u2018I\u2019m relaxed, I\u2019m only looking for 90\u2019 and you end up running quicker because your brain is not chasing a goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pace runs in the family as brother Kaodi, a pharmaceutical engineer, has a 100m personal best of 10.8 seconds while other brother Uche, a nurse, is also a sprinter.<\/p>\n
The boys and sisters Nneoma and Chibuzo grew up in Cork after dad Emmanuel chose Ireland over Florida, when he and wife Christina took the family over when Ogbene was eight in 2005, for a job as a nurse.<\/p>\n
His parents had been working in Kuwait but Ogbene was soon playing Gaelic football for Nemo Rangers, before playing for Cork and Limerick and eventually moving to Brentford in 2018.<\/p>\n
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\u201cDad liked it in Ireland. It was a peaceful country,\u201d he adds. \u201cHe wanted a good education system for us, which Ireland was very good for, and he liked his job in Ireland. America would have been a big journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
It means the 26-year-old is the first Nigerian-born player to feature for Ireland, making his debut against Hungary in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cNigeria was if, buts and maybes. It was difficult because my parents are proud Nigerians and I wanted to make them proud but they are as proud of me playing for Ireland,\u201d says Ogbene, now with four goals in 19 games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went through the system in Ireland, it is my adopted home, and the opportunity was massive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want me, I want to be with you. If you give me an opportunity I will never say no. I was also given the opportunity to come to the Premier League and I didn\u2019t want to turn it down.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Ogbene had options in the summer with most of the Championship chasing his signature but opted to sign for the Hatters after four years with Rotherham.<\/p>\n
He has featured in every Premier League game for Rob Edwards this term, scoring in the 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest, and after just 15 top flight appearances has rivals running scared.<\/p>\n
\u201cInternational football has helped me massively because it would have been a such a big jump,\u201d he said, with Luton two points above the drop zone after Tuesday\u2019s heartbreaking late 4-3 defeat to Arsenal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I came to the Premier League, I told myself: \u2018I\u2019ve competed well against some of the top full backs in international football, I have to be confident\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing quick is a good trait to have because defenders tend to respect you a bit more, they\u2019re scared you\u2019re going to go in behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I go faster? I hope I will.\u201d<\/p>\n
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