Nigerians are overwhelmingly united that the country’s brightest medal prospect at the 14th IAAF Championship in Moscow lies on the shoulder of a 24-year-old Sapele born girl called Blessing Okagbare.
The multi-talented athlete would represent the nation in four events 100m, 200m, 4x100m women’s relay and the long jump.
According to the list released by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, (AFN), other athletes to represent the country in Moscow are Gloria Asumnu (100m), Regina George (400m), Ajoke Odumosu (400m hurdles), Omolara Omotosho (400m) and Ehigie Josephine (400m).
Other members of the team are Okon Patience (400m), Stephanie Kalu (100m), Ugonna Ndu (400m hurdles), Uko Peace (4x100m), Mayungbe Ibukun (4x400m) and Abogunloko Bukola (4x400m).
The eight male athletes listed for the tourney are Egwero Ogho-Oghene (100m), Noah Akwu (200m/400m), Momoh Leoman (800m), Tosin Oke (triple jump), Onakoya Abiola (4x400m), Salihu Isah (4x400m), Ogunmola Tobi (4x400m) and Odeka Gerald (4x400m).
After a below-par performance at the 2012 London Olympics, where Nigeria failed to win any colour of medal, Okagbare has continued to put up brilliant performances in races and jumps at international classics.
Only recently, Okagbare eclipsed the 10.90 seconds African 100m record held by former Nigerian hurdler, Gloria Alozie to post a new record of 10.79 secs in the short sprint at the London Diamond League Anniversary Games.
Going into the world athletics championships in Moscow, Nigerians are confident and hopeful that Okagbare would this time around live up to expectations and redeem Nigeria’s fading image where it mattered most – at major tourneys.
“As far as I am concerned, Okagbare is our major medal hopeful in women’s 100m and long jump in Moscow,” the Technical Director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, (AFN), Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, said recently.
Okagbare had on 19th July, powered to a win in the long jump event at the IAAF Diamond League Grand Prix event in Monaco.
The Nigerian jumped a staggering 7.04metres to record her personal best of the season. She finished ahead of Russia’s Darya Klishina and Britain’s Proctor Shara who came second and third respectively.
Earlier this month, Okagbare won the Women’s Long Jump event at the IAAF Diamond League Grand Prix in the Swiss city of Lausanne.
She jumped a remarkable 6.98 ahead of USA’s Brittney Reese (6. 96) and Britain’s Shara Proctor (6.92).
Before the Lausanne meet, the 24 year old upstaged rivals Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Carmelita Jeter to win the 200 meters at the Birmingham Grand Prix.
“For me, Okagbare’s strongest medal area is the long jump, not 100m but again her performance at the Grand Prix in London means you can’t underrate her in the sprints too.”
“If you jump 7m, it means you are a medal hopeful. Okagbare has jumped 7.04m, which means she’s got a chance to be on the podium in Moscow.
“When Chioma Ajunwa won the long jump at Atlanta in 1996, she was not among the favourites for the event.
“But she had one fantastic jump and it settled it all. Okagbare is capable of doing that too,”according to an athletic coach, Isaac Osagie.
Apart from the triple African champion, Nigerians would also be looking in the direction of Tosin Oke (triple jump), Egwero Ogho-Oghene (100m), Omolara Omotosho (400m), Ajoke Odumosu (400m hurdles) and Gloria Asumnu (100m) for medals.
Not the best of Nigeria’s squad: I never thought this will happen under the new Board’s very eyes. This may just not be the best team to the World championships from Nigeria. Ask Agbaje Ovie Fredrick: “I also have a ‘B’ standard of 10.16 secs, my name actually come first on the IAAF websit still am left out, I believe this is due to the fact that there is no Oghene or Kparobo attached to my first or last name.”
Team Nigeria in past editions of the athletics championship had always made it to the finals of most of the events they entered for without the medal.
A major challenge before them in Moscow is for them to rise up to the occasion and go a step further to make it to the medal bracket this time around.