- Low-profile women's wrestler, Adekuoroye in the Olympic final
- The 2nd world-ranked Nigerian wrestler looks to overturn Tokyo 2020 medal miss
- History makers Usoro, Brume and Ochonogor, set for final Paris Olympic appearance in style
Following the feat of three Nigerian women reaching the final of the Women's Long Jump at the Olympics, Nigeria's chances of landing an Olympic medal in Paris have been significantly boosted. Despite finishing 9th, Ese Brume made an extraordinary leap of 6.76m, ensuring her an automatic entry into the final round. Ruth Usoro also qualified with a jump of 6.68m, while Prestina Ochonogor booked her place with an impressive leap of 6.65m.
Wrestler Odunayo Adekuoroye seeks gold in Olympic final
She competed in the women's freestyle 53 kg category at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and won a gold medal. At the 2015 World Wrestling Championships, she earned a bronze medal. In the 2017 World Wrestling Championships, she took home a silver medal in the women's freestyle 55 kg category.
In 2018, at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, she won her second Commonwealth gold medal in the Women's Freestyle 57 kg weight class by beating Pooja Dhanda from India.
Adekuoroye also won her third Commonwealth gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, defeating India’s Anshu Malik in the final.
Nigerian freestyle wrestler Odunayo Adekuoroye is keeping a low profile as she aims to win a medal at the Paris Olympics and overcome her disappointing result from Tokyo three years ago. Adekuoroye, who has won four world championships, eight African titles, and three Commonwealth Games golds, has stayed out of the spotlight and avoided interviews leading up to the Games.
She even kept a low profile during the team announcements last month.
This is a big change from the Tokyo Olympics, where she was a top medal hopeful in the 57kg category. Back then, she was ranked No. 1, had high expectations for gold, and had two documentary teams following her.
Unfortunately, in the quarterfinals, despite leading 8-0 against Moldova's Anastasia Nichita, she was unexpectedly pinned and lost, even though she had beaten Nichita before.
Coach Igali still believes Adekuoroye is Nigeria’s best chance for a medal, as she is ranked No. 2 going into the Paris Olympics.
"She is still our best chance because she is ranked number 2 going into the Olympics," the coach of the Nigerian National Wrestling Team," Igali mentioned.
From hawking on the streets of Akure to competing in Paris, Adekuoroye hopes to bring a medal to Nigeria’s Olympic team.
Usoro, Brume, Ochonogor set for final
Nigeria’s long jump team; Ese Brume, Prestina Ochonogor, and Ruth Usoro, will all compete in the final of the women’s long jump at the Paris 2024 Olympics. This is the first time three Nigerian athletes have made it to the final of an individual Olympic event.
The last time Nigeria had multiple athletes in an athletics final was at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when Falilat Ogunkoya and Fatimat Yusuf reached the final of the women’s 400 meters. Although Brume hasn't had the best season leading up to the Games, she is still seen as a strong medal contender.
The 28-year-old is a four-time African champion and won bronze in the long jump at the last Olympics with a jump of 6.97 meters.
Paris Olympics 2024: Tobi Amusan advances into semifinal
Previously, TheRadar reported that Tobi Amusan made it to the semifinals of the women's 100m hurdles at Paris 2024 by winning her heat with a time of 12.49 seconds.
Amusan, who has won the Diamond League three times in a row, two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, two African championships, and three gold medals at the African Games, has competed in the Olympics twice (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020).
Tobi Amusan holds the world record for the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.12 seconds, set during the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. She is also the current Commonwealth and African champion in the event.
