VANCOUVER – Olympic wrestling champion Daniel Igali of Surrey, B.C., has survived a frightening knife attack in Nigeria, where he is helping establish an academy to help the poor in his native land.
Igali said in a telephone interview Wednesday night that he was set upon in his home by four robbers in the city of Yenagoa. They stabbed him three times in the back and made off with cash, laptops and phones.
‘I think they stabbed me because they wanted me to give them everything,” Igali said. ”It was a bad experience.
”I don’t have any respect for people from the underworld who would come into your house and taken everything you’ve collected over the years.”
Igali, who won gold for Canada at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, said thankfully none of his Olympic memorabilia was taken.
The native Nigerian is in the country to establish the Maureen Matheny Academy in his home village of Eniwari in Bayelsa State. He was concerned that would-be volunteers would fear helping out now that he’s been attacked.
”I’m recovering now I’m healing all right,” said Igali, who has raised $600,000 for his academic dream. ”My spirits are fine.
”It’s just worrying knowing that it might discourage people who would come to help out at the academy. I was robbed in the city, where it can be dangerous. The academy is in my home village, where they all know everybody.”
Igali initially thought he might abandon his African philanthropy.
”I thought I was doing a good thing, coming home and helping in community development. I have spent so much time and resources trying to uplift the quality of life here. If this is how I want to be paid, then I had better stay back in Canada.”
But he said he went to visit the happy children at the academy, and his enthusiasm is back.
”The progress in the school is growing by leaps and bounds. I’m not going to come home until I’ve completed my mission.”
Igali also said he’s slowly feeling safer again.
”I’m feeling all right. The police have sent armed policemen to my compound. I feel completely safe.”
Igali became an instant Canadian celebrity when he won Olympic gold. He wrapped himself in a Canadian flag, then placed it reverently on the mat, danced around it and finally knelt to kiss the flag.
Igali said as he sang O Canada he thought of the children of Eniwari and vowed to build them a school.
”It became almost an obsession,” he said. ”School should be one of the safest environments for kids. They should be excited about going to school. And I wanted to give people hope.”
Igali was one of the star candidates recruited by the B.C. Liberals for the 2005 provincial election, but was stoic after losing in the ethnically diverse riding of Surrey-Newton: ”As an athlete, you have to take losses with a grain of salt.”
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