- Ofilli failed to impress fans in the decisive sprint final
- Oborududu loses another opportunity to win a medal
- Samuel Ogazi books his place in the final match for the 400m race
As the 2024 Olympics begin to wrap up, Nigeria’s hopes for medals took a hit during the final events involving some of its top athletes. Favour Ofilli and Blessing Oborududu, both expected to do well, failed to win medals in their events. Ofilli struggled in the crucial sprint final and did not meet the high expectations of supporters, disappointing fans. Similarly, Oborududu also missed out on a bronze medal, which has further lowered Nigeria’s chances of medal success.
Ofilli fails to impress fans in important sprint final
In a much-anticipated race, Ofili’s performance in the women’s 200m sprint final at the Paris 2024 Olympics didn’t meet expectations. Despite a strong semifinal showing, where she finished third with a time of 22.05 seconds, her final race was less impressive.
Ofili ran 22.25 seconds in the final, which was slower than her semifinal time and not enough to earn her a medal.
The final saw some of the world’s top sprinters in action. USA’s Gabrielle Thomas won the gold medal with a time of 21.83 seconds, making her the fastest woman in the 200m sprint.
Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, who also won the women’s 100m, took the silver medal with a time of 22.08 seconds.
USA’s Brittany Brown completed the podium with a bronze medal, finishing in 22.20 seconds.
Oborududu missed another chance to win a medal.
Nigerian fans were also disappointed again as Blessing Oborududu, one of the country’s top wrestlers, missed out on winning a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. Oborududu, popular for her impressive wrestling career and manly physique, had previously won a silver medal in the women’s 68kg category at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
She started the Paris competition smoothly as she defeated former world champion Linda Morais from Canada, many had expected her to easily secure a medal as fans felt that could have been her biggest hurdle. However, she lost to Japan’s Nnoka Ozaki by three points to nil in the match for third place, missing out on the bronze medal.
Ogazi secures spot in the final for 400m race
On Tuesday, August 6th, 18-year-old Nigerian athlete Samuel Ogazi set a new personal best time of 44.41 seconds to advance to the final of the men’s 400m event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This is the first time a Nigerian has reached the final in this event since Innocent Egbunike did so in 1988, finishing fifth.
Ogazi's achievement is notable as he also set a personal best of 44.50 seconds to qualify for the 400m semi-finals on August 4th, marking the first time a Nigerian male athlete has reached the semi-finals of this event since 2008, breaking a 36-year jinx.
In the final, Ogazi will face strong competition from various athletes such as Kirani James, Zambia’s Muzala, and Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, amongst others, who all ran under 44 seconds in the semifinals.
Paris Olympics 2024: Repechage triumph secures semifinals for Onojuvwevwo and Onwuzuruike
Previously, TheRadar reported that Ella Onojuvwevwo and Udodi Onwuzuruike came first in their respective repechage rounds after failing to qualify from round 1 automatically yesterday, 5th August, in the women’s 400m and men’s 200m events, respectively.
Ruth Usoro, Ese Brume, and Prestina Ochonogor took Nigeria into the women’s long jump category final.
They became the first Nigerian women trio to ever qualify for an Olympics final event.
