Team Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics has been a stage of triumph and challenge, evidence of both the ability and the struggle by Nigeria’s athletes in the quest for glory at the global stage. From breaking new grounds to near misses, the journey has so far been like one that is sailed through a stormy sea. Here’s a look at the key performances and stories that have defined Nigeria’s Olympic campaign so far.
Tobi Amusan is the current world record holder in the 100m women’s hurdles, and she has been the spark that was needed to give Nigeria hope. She opened her campaign quite impressively at the 2024 Olympics, Paris, storming into the semifinals with 12.49 seconds to top the field and seal her tag as a sure bet towards winning gold at the competition.
The road to Paris has been garnished with some major wins for Amusan. At just 27, she can boast the 8123 collection of medals in major competitions, from World Championships to Commonwealth Games, African Championships, African Games, and the Diamond League. An Olympic medal is, however, missing, and that is one void she is prayerfully looking to fill in Paris.
Her Olympic journey began in Rio 2016, where she made it to the semi-finals. At Tokyo 2020, even while finishing fourth, she still fell just short of podium places. Armed with this season’s best world-leading time of 12.40 seconds set at the Jamaica Invitational Athletics Meet, however, Amusan has a totally different script in view.
The strong lineup Amusan will contend in Paris against includes Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas, Alaysha Johnson of the USA, Danielle Williams, who is the world champion, and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, who is the reigning Olympic Champion. Semi-finals are scheduled to take place on Friday, August 9, while the final will feature on the penultimate day of the athletics programs on Saturday, August 10.
This season alone, Amusan has partaken in 17 events: the 60m, 100m, 100m hurdles, and the 4x100m relay. She twice broke the African record in the indoor 60m hurdles early this year, after which she went on to show elite form with some titles to her name, such as winning a third consecutive African Games title in Ghana and anchoring the women’s 4x100m to gold in Accra.
Of Nigeria’s biggest prospects to win medals at Paris 2024, Amusan is probably the most crucial in her quest for Olympic glory. Her nation is hopeful that she finally will make a podium rise to take the elusive Olympic medal her otherwise illustrious career has missed.
Alongside Amusan, the other Nigerian stealing the show in Paris is 18-year-old Samuel Ogazi, who competes in the men’s 400m. Having qualified to the final, the lad already became the first Nigerian to ever do so since Innocent Egbunike did during the Seoul 1988 Games.
Ogazi’s performance in Paris acted as an indicator of the potentials he harbors to a greater degree, and above all else, to the arrival of a new generation of athletes from Nigeria. Going into his final competition, Ogazi targets an appearance on the podium, breaking more records to motivate other upcoming Nigerian and African athletes.
This has been Favour Ofili’s journey in the women’s 200m: the mix of historic achievement with a tinge of bittersweet disappointment. Ofili became the first Nigerian woman in 28 years to make the final of the 200m.
Ofili, competing at her first Olympics, raced to a season-best of 22.05 seconds in the semi-finals, which would see her book a spot for the final, finishing second just behind reigning Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred. In the final, she finished in sixth with 22.24 seconds, missing out on a podium place but reducing the feat for Nigerian athletics.
The last time that a Nigerian woman made the 200m final was Atlanta 1996, with Mary Onyali going on to take the bronze. For Ofili, this was a gigantic breakthrough and an underlining of potential as a rising star in track and field.
Ofili is a triple semifinalist at the world championships – 400m in 2019 and 200m in 2022 and 2023. The performance in Paris, though non-medal winning, was one of the building blocks towards greater things in her athletic career.
The never-give-up spirit and tenacity, Blessing Oborududu had been in wrestling. She participated in the women’s freestyle 68kg wrestling category to increase her Olympic medal collection with a different color after winning silver at the Tokyo 2020 event.
Oborududu didn’t have an easy road in Paris. She won her opening bouts, defeating Linda Morais of Canada 8-2 and Larroque Koumba of France 6-2, to advance to the semi-finals. However, she lost her semifinal bout 1-3 to Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan, leaving her to fight for the bronze medal. She lost 3-0 to her Japanese opponent to miss out on a podium place.
Oborududu created history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to be the first Olympic medalist in wrestling from Nigeria. Though her performance here in Paris did not prove to be medal-worthy, it has continued to show a lot of inspiration and commitment to the sport.
While some Nigerian athletes were dealt a blow, the long jump event has given the nation a reason to hope. For the first time ever in the Olympics, three Nigerian athletes qualified for the finals in the same individual event—truly making history.
Qualified Athletes in Long Jump
- Ese Brume: With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics already having her as a bronze medalist, Brume booked her slot in the final with a jump of 6.76 meters. She has experience and previous success to her name, hence making her one of the clear contenders for another medal.
- Ruth Usoro: This will be the first time that Usoro will be competing at the Olympics, but she certainly did make a statement by qualifying for the finals with a jump of 6.68 meters to prove her potential on the world stage.
- Prestina Ochonogor: With 6.65 meters, also a first-time Olympian, Ochonogor qualified to add more medal hopes for Nigeria.
And these three are joining in the final of the long jump to underscore that there is so much depth in Nigerian athletics. This was quite promising, given the chances of Nigeria to garner medals in that long jump final slated for Thursday, August 8, 2024, at 7 p.m. Nigerian time.
Senator John Owan, while expressing his elation at this development, urged the athletes to perform well in the finals and said this would be the first time that athletics could ever bring unprecedented good fortune to Nigeria.
It eluded Nigerian record holder Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi in the men’s Javelin with 77.53 meters and finished 14th in his qualification group in Paris. His performance may not have fetched him a final berth, but it speaks volumes of the competitive nature of the Olympics and continuous efforts by Nigerian athletes to excel in diverse sports.
Conclusion:
The Paris 2024 Olympics drove home the fighting spirit, talents, and will exuding in each Nigerian athlete. From Tobi Amusan’s strides, which lifted her to a world record, back down to historic performances in the long jump, competitors like Favour Ofili and Blessing Oborududu, who dug deep to bring out their never-say-die spirit, Team Nigeria’s Olympic journey is one of promise and perseverance.
A tale from Paris continues to be written in athletics, where some of the dreams have been dashed and others are still within reach. But as the Olympics go on, so will Nigeria’s commitment to stand by its athletes and their efforts on the world stage—each stride, jump, and match adding to a legacy of excellence and ambition.
SOURCES
- https://punchng.com/just-in-tobi-amusan-qualifies-for-100m-hurdles-semis-in-2024-olympics/?amp
- https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/articles/cx2eegr3qego.amp
- https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/721959-paris-2024-amusan-headlines-day-12-for-team-nigeria.html
