With the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics barely three weeks away now, final preparations have been in top gear in all countries looking to take part in the long-awaited Summer Games.
Nigeria, of course, is not left out even as the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), over the last weekend, announced a strong team list of 25 athletes who will hoist the country’s flag in Track and Field events at the Games.
The list, as expected, had some big names including African Record (AR) holder in the 200m Blessing Okagbare, Long Jump AR holder Ese Brume, Hammer Throw AR holder Annette Echikunwoke amongst many others who have made giant strides in their respective events on continental and global stages.
Indeed, Nigeria’s hope of having a meaningful representation at the Games rests majorly on this star-studded Athletics team even as the country would not be partaking in football – another sport in which we’ve had comparative advantage over the years – this time.
In this piece, we will list out five top athletes in the list who are really capable of delivering medals for the country in their individual events, bringing into your notice their form and how well they performed at this stage (or a similar one) in recent years.
- Annette Echikunwoke
Her name is not one many Nigerians (especially non-athletics enthusiasts) will be familiar with, but this Hammer Throw specialist is one athlete set to announce her presence on the big stage in Tokyo.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Echikunwoke switched allegiance from America to Nigeria earlier this year and she’s since broken the African Record four (!) times. Now, her Season Best record of 75.49m is the 7th farthest throw in the world this season. If she manages to throw better than her current Personal Best at the Games, it’s quite possible for her to clinch a medal.
- Tobi Amusan
Just like Ese Brume, Amusan is an athlete who is rated highly in her discipline – the women’s 100m Hurdles. Over the years, she has given a good challenge to her strong American and Jamaican rivals, and it’s hoped she will get the better of them at the Games this time.
After stunningly clinching Gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, she narrowly missed out on clinching her first medal at the Worlds the following year as she finished fourth in the final with 12.49s.
She had a disappointing debut at the Olympics in 2016 where she got knocked out in the semis, but she will hope to make things right this time around and possibly bag a medal in her event.
- Divine Oduduru
The renowned Texas Tech Alumni is easily Nigeria’s best hopes in the men’s category for athletics. The 24-year-old sprinter has broken the 10-second barrier four times in his career, and he came quite close to eclipsing Olusoji Fasuba’s long-standing African Record (9.85s) in the 100m when he clocked his Personal Best of 9.86s to emerge NCAA champion for the Red Raiders in 2019.
However, Oduduru hasn’t been at his best lately as he’s failed to go under the 10-second mark since that his blazing run in 2019. But he’s, of course, a top athlete who could come clutch especially in his seemingly favourite event – the 200m. In contrast to his weak 100m results this season, he has a Season Best (SB) record of 19.88 and that’s a pretty good time by all standards.
- Ese Brume
The three-time African Long Jump champion is another athlete who shows great promise. Just five weeks ago, she soared to a Lifetime Best of 7.17m in the Long Jump – a mark no other athlete in the world has surpassed this season.
Although she couldn’t quite replicate this monstrous jump at the national trials two weeks ago (leaping 6.64m), there’s no denying the fact that she’s one of the biggest (if not even biggest) medal prospects for the country.
At the Games in Rio in 2016, she finished 5th with a leap of 6.81m. Interestingly, she announced her presence on the world stage only three years later at the World Athletics Championships in Qatar, clinching Bronze medal with Silver-winning Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk beating the Nigerian by only one centimeter.
- Blessing Okagbare
There’s no athlete better placed to lead Nigeria’s charge on the track than the brilliant 32-year-old speedster. Talk about form, experience and what have you – Okagbare has got all it takes to take the world by storm in the short sprints this year.
Individually, she will be competing in only the women’s 100m and 200m events, and not the Long Jump which gave her only Olympic medal yet (Silver) at the Beijing Games in 2008. Also, she will lead Nigeria’s charge in the women’s 4x100m relays.
The veteran sprinter has enjoyed fine form this season as she’s gone under the 11-second mark in most of her wind-legal races in 2021. She further silenced all doubters when she clocked a blazing 10.63s (+2.7 m/s) to claim the win at the National Olympic Trials in Lagos last month. That time is, for a fact, the joint-second fastest ever ran by a woman under all conditions, and it would have earned her a hard-to-beat African Record if it were not for the illegal wind.
At her last appearance at the Olympics in Rio, she could not make the final in either the 100m and 200m as she got knocked out in the semis of both events. But we will definitely be seeing a more determined Okagbare in Tokyo, one who would fiercely challenge her rivals in the much-anticipated women’s 100m final, and maybe even have a go at the world record.
How many medals do you see Nigeria bagging at the coming Olympics? Head over to our pop-up Olympic Games page for your predictions. We will provide a wide range of Olympic bets options when it is time.
