The 14th IAAF World Championships is upon us and all roads lead to the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. The Championships is like the world cup of Athletics and 206 countries have signed up for the one week festival. The Americans are the most successful in the history of the Competitions with 275 medals in their bags, Nigeria is a distant 64th where we have only amassed 6 medals in the Championship's 30 year history.
Infact Nigeria has never won a Gold medal at the World Championships and the last time we won a medal was in Seville 1999. Where Francis Obikwelu got bronze in the Men's 200m and Gloria Oluchi Alozie won the silver medal in the Women's 100m Hurdles, Although both Athletes have since ported to Portugal and Spain respectively.
It will also be in the history books that Team Nigeria comprising of Francis Obikwelu, Innocent Asonze Daniel Effiong and Deji Aliu also won another medal at the 4 x 100m relay in Seville but the team was later disqualified in 2005 because Innocent Asonze failed a doping test.
Blessing Okagbare is representing Nigeria at the 100m, 200m and Long Jump. She has the most realitic chance of winning Nigeria's first ever Gold medal in the history of the world championships. 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.
“She has consistently proven that she can compete among the world’s best and we have to keep praying for her so that she can be in her best form when the competition begin on Saturday.”
Gloria Asunmu
She will be representing Nigeria at the Women 100m. She won a bronze medal at the 2011 All Africa games in Maputo and another 100m bronze at the African Championships in Benin last year. She has been more successful at the long sprint as she has a 200m Gold medal to her name. The 28 year old was also part of the quartet that won Gold in the 4 x 100 m relay in Benin. She ran a time of 11:47s at the Calabar Championships.
Regina George
Ajoke Odumosu
Ajoke Odumosu will be representing Team Nigeria at the 400m Hurdles. Ajoke has a realistic chance to deliver Nigeria's first medal at the world champs in 14 years as she's one of the most feared names in her sport. She represented Nigeria at the 2008 Summer Olympics and competed at the World Championships in Athletics in 2007 and 2009. She was the bronze medallist at the 2007 All-Africa Games and went on to become the continental champion with a win at the 2008 African Championships.
In 2010 she won the gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the Commonwealth Games and was runner-up at the African Championships and also took a silver medal for Africa at the Continental Cup. She still holds the Nigerian record in the 400 m hurdles, after improving on her personal best to 54.40 seconds during the 2012 London Olympics semi-finals.
Omolara Omotosho
Omolara Omotosho is representing Team Nigeria at the 400m. The 20 year old represented Nigeria at the last Olympics where she reached the Semi finals of the 400m. She won Bronze at the Calabar championships with a time of 52:00s.
Stephanie Kalu
Stephanie is representing Team Nigeria at the 100m. She has a personal best of 11.77 seconds that she ran in Charlottesville last year. The 20 year old also came 4th at the Calabar Championships with a time of 11.83s.
Ugonna Ndu
Ugonna Ndu is representing Team Nigeria at the 400m Hurdles. The US born sprinter was second at he Calabar Championships with a time of 56.87s.
Abogunloko Bukola
Abogunloko Bukola will be representing Team Nigeria only at the 4 x 400m relay. She will be joining Regina George, Omotosho Omolara, Patience Okon, Josephine Ehigie in the team. The 18 year old was part of the 4 × 400m relay team at the 2012 Olympics that made it to the final where they were disqualified.
Ehigie Josephine
Ehigie Josephine is representing Team Nigeria at the 400m. She has a personal best of 51.80s and came 4th at the Calabar championships with a time of 52.35s.
Okon Patience
Okon Patence is representing Team Nigeria at the 400. She won silver at the Calabar championships with a time of 51.87s
Uko Peace
Uko Peace will only be representing Team Nigeria at the 4 x 100m relay. She will be joining Blessing Okagbare, Stephanie Kalu, Gloria Asunmu in the team. the 17 year old came 3rd at the Calabar Championships with a time of 11.67s.
Mayungbe Ibukun
Mayungbe Ibukun is also representing Team Nigeria at the 4 x 100m relay alongside Blessing Okagbare, Stephanie Kalu, Gloria Asunmu and Uko Peace.
Other Athletes to have won medals include Ajayi Agbebaku who won Bronze medal at the Triple Jump in the 1983 Helsinki games, Innocent Egbunike clinching Silver Medal at the 400m in the 1987 champs in Rome, The quartet of Late Sunday Bada, Kunle Adejuyigbe, Udeme Ekpeyong,Jude Monye also brought glory to Nigeria by winning Bronze medal at the Men's 4 x 400m relay in the 1995 Gothenburg championships and finally another team comprising of the Ezenwa brothers - Osmondi and Davidson, Olapade Adeniken and Francis Obikwelu won Silver Medal at the Men's 4 x 100m relay in Athens 97.
It will also be in the history books that Team Nigeria comprising of Francis Obikwelu, Innocent Asonze Daniel Effiong and Deji Aliu also won another medal at the 4 x 100m relay in Seville but the team was later disqualified in 2005 because Innocent Asonze failed a doping test.
Nigeria has however sent 20 competent athletes where they will hoping that atleast one can rewrite the course of history by winning the country's first ever Gold medal at the Iaaf Championships.
Sportunes is running a profile on each of the Team Nigeria's athletes. Most of the athletes were chosen based on their performances at the last National Athletic Championships which was held in Calabar last month.
Blessing Okagbare
Blessing Okagbare is representing Nigeria at the 100m, 200m and Long Jump. She has the most realitic chance of winning Nigeria's first ever Gold medal in the history of the world championships. 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.
“She has consistently proven that she can compete among the world’s best and we have to keep praying for her so that she can be in her best form when the competition begin on Saturday.”
Gloria Asunmu
She will be representing Nigeria at the Women 100m. She won a bronze medal at the 2011 All Africa games in Maputo and another 100m bronze at the African Championships in Benin last year. She has been more successful at the long sprint as she has a 200m Gold medal to her name. The 28 year old was also part of the quartet that won Gold in the 4 x 100 m relay in Benin. She ran a time of 11:47s at the Calabar Championships.
Regina George
Regina George will be representing Team Nigeria at the Women's 400m. The American-born sprinter represented Nigeria at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She won the Gold medal at the Calabar Championships with a time of 50.99s
Ajoke Odumosu
Ajoke Odumosu will be representing Team Nigeria at the 400m Hurdles. Ajoke has a realistic chance to deliver Nigeria's first medal at the world champs in 14 years as she's one of the most feared names in her sport. She represented Nigeria at the 2008 Summer Olympics and competed at the World Championships in Athletics in 2007 and 2009. She was the bronze medallist at the 2007 All-Africa Games and went on to become the continental champion with a win at the 2008 African Championships.
In 2010 she won the gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the Commonwealth Games and was runner-up at the African Championships and also took a silver medal for Africa at the Continental Cup. She still holds the Nigerian record in the 400 m hurdles, after improving on her personal best to 54.40 seconds during the 2012 London Olympics semi-finals.
Omolara Omotosho
Omolara Omotosho is representing Team Nigeria at the 400m. The 20 year old represented Nigeria at the last Olympics where she reached the Semi finals of the 400m. She won Bronze at the Calabar championships with a time of 52:00s.
Stephanie Kalu
Stephanie is representing Team Nigeria at the 100m. She has a personal best of 11.77 seconds that she ran in Charlottesville last year. The 20 year old also came 4th at the Calabar Championships with a time of 11.83s.
Ugonna Ndu
Ugonna Ndu is representing Team Nigeria at the 400m Hurdles. The US born sprinter was second at he Calabar Championships with a time of 56.87s.
Abogunloko Bukola
Abogunloko Bukola will be representing Team Nigeria only at the 4 x 400m relay. She will be joining Regina George, Omotosho Omolara, Patience Okon, Josephine Ehigie in the team. The 18 year old was part of the 4 × 400m relay team at the 2012 Olympics that made it to the final where they were disqualified.
Ehigie Josephine is representing Team Nigeria at the 400m. She has a personal best of 51.80s and came 4th at the Calabar championships with a time of 52.35s.
Okon Patience
Okon Patence is representing Team Nigeria at the 400. She won silver at the Calabar championships with a time of 51.87s
Uko Peace
Uko Peace will only be representing Team Nigeria at the 4 x 100m relay. She will be joining Blessing Okagbare, Stephanie Kalu, Gloria Asunmu in the team. the 17 year old came 3rd at the Calabar Championships with a time of 11.67s.
Mayungbe Ibukun
Mayungbe Ibukun is also representing Team Nigeria at the 4 x 100m relay alongside Blessing Okagbare, Stephanie Kalu, Gloria Asunmu and Uko Peace.
MEN
Egwero Ogho-Oghene
Egwero Ogho - Oghene is representing Team Nigeria at the Men's 100m. He's currently the fastest man in Nigeria as he won the Gold medal at the Calabar championships in 10.18s. The 25 year old also competed at the 2009 World Championships and the 2010 World Indoor Championships without reaching the final. He was part of the team that won silver at the 4 x 100m relay in the 2012 African Championships in Port Novo.
Noah Akwu
Noah Akwu will be representing Team Nigeria at the Men's 200m and 400m. He competed at the 2012 Olympics where he went head to head with the fastest man in the world Usain Bolt. The 22 year old also won the Bronze medal at last year's African Championships in Port Novo. With a time of 21.28s he won silver at the 200m in the Calabar Championships but went a step further by claiming the Gold medal in the 400m with a time of 45.59s
Egwero Ogho - Oghene is representing Team Nigeria at the Men's 100m. He's currently the fastest man in Nigeria as he won the Gold medal at the Calabar championships in 10.18s. The 25 year old also competed at the 2009 World Championships and the 2010 World Indoor Championships without reaching the final. He was part of the team that won silver at the 4 x 100m relay in the 2012 African Championships in Port Novo.
Noah Akwu
Noah Akwu will be representing Team Nigeria at the Men's 200m and 400m. He competed at the 2012 Olympics where he went head to head with the fastest man in the world Usain Bolt. The 22 year old also won the Bronze medal at last year's African Championships in Port Novo. With a time of 21.28s he won silver at the 200m in the Calabar Championships but went a step further by claiming the Gold medal in the 400m with a time of 45.59s
Momoh leoman
Momoh Leoman is representing Team Nigeria at the Men's 800m.
Tosin Oke
Tosin Oke is representing Team Nigeria at the Men's Triple Jump. He initially competed for Britain where he set the current UK junior indoor record and was 1 cm shy of the outdoor junior record. He was the 1999 European Athletics Junior Championships Champion, and came 5th at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. After multiple indoor and outdoor UK titles, he later switched to compete for Nigeria. Since competing for Nigeria he has won back-to-back African Championships in Athletics titles and is the current Commonwealth Games Champion and All-Africa Games Champion. At the 2012 Summer Olympics Oke finished seventh in the triple jump final, the best Nigerian result of the Games. The 32 year old also won Gold at the Calabar Championships.
Onakoya Abiola
Onakoya Abiola is representing Team Nigeria only at the Men's 4 x 400m relay. He finished 2nd at the Calabar Championship with a time of 45.79s
Ogunmoa Tobi
Ogunmoa Tobi is also representing Team Nigeria only at the Men's 4 x 400m relay. He won a silver medal in the 400m at the 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo. The 21 year old however settled for 4th at the Calabar Championships with a time of 46.43s
Salihu Isah
Momoh Leoman is representing Team Nigeria at the Men's 800m.
Tosin Oke
Tosin Oke is representing Team Nigeria at the Men's Triple Jump. He initially competed for Britain where he set the current UK junior indoor record and was 1 cm shy of the outdoor junior record. He was the 1999 European Athletics Junior Championships Champion, and came 5th at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. After multiple indoor and outdoor UK titles, he later switched to compete for Nigeria. Since competing for Nigeria he has won back-to-back African Championships in Athletics titles and is the current Commonwealth Games Champion and All-Africa Games Champion. At the 2012 Summer Olympics Oke finished seventh in the triple jump final, the best Nigerian result of the Games. The 32 year old also won Gold at the Calabar Championships.
Onakoya Abiola
Onakoya Abiola is representing Team Nigeria only at the Men's 4 x 400m relay. He finished 2nd at the Calabar Championship with a time of 45.79s
Ogunmoa Tobi
Ogunmoa Tobi is also representing Team Nigeria only at the Men's 4 x 400m relay. He won a silver medal in the 400m at the 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo. The 21 year old however settled for 4th at the Calabar Championships with a time of 46.43s
Salihu Isah too is representing Team Nigeria at the Men's 4 x 400m relay. He won the Bronze medal at the Calabar Championships with a time of 46.19s
Odeka Gerald
Odeka Gerald is representing Team Nigeria only at the Men's 4 x 400m relay. He finished a distant 5th at the Calabar Championships with a time of 47.17s
Odeka Gerald is representing Team Nigeria only at the Men's 4 x 400m relay. He finished a distant 5th at the Calabar Championships with a time of 47.17s
yeye Team Nigeria
ReplyDelete