African Athletics Championship: Nigeria Grabs Gold In Relay, Discus
Team Nigeria increased its gold medals to three yesterday at the 22nd African Athletics Championship in Mauritius, with the women’s 4x100m relay team overcoming stiff opposition from South Africa and The Gambia in the final.
Nigeria had secured her first gold medal on Thursday through Oluwatobi Amusan in the 100m hurdles, and expectations were high Friday when the women’s 4x100m relay team filed out in the final.
They did not disappoint. Despite stiff challenge from the South Africans and The Gambians, the Nigerian women controlled the race from the beginning till the end, securing the gold medal in 44.45seconds. South Africa was second in 44.87seconds, while The Gambia finished third in 44.97seconds.
Team Nigeria officials were expecting the men’s 4x100m relay team to take inspiration from their female counterpart. But the men got it wrong, finishing in a disappointing fourth position with a time of 39.98 seconds. Kenya picked the gold in 39.28 seconds, while South Africa and Zimbabwe got the silver and bronze medals respectively.
Nigeria’s second gold medal yesterday came from Chioma Onyekwere, who successfully defended her Discus title.
Patience Okon-George also flopped in the Women’s 400m yesterday, finishing in a disappointing fifth position.
Meanwhile, defending champion in the women’s long jump, Nigeria’s Ese Brume, could not make it to Mauritius for the championship.
Brume, who was on the list of athletes released by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) for the championship in Mauritius, told The Guardian in a telephone chat yesterday that she could not travel from her base in the United States because her passport was held up at the U.S. embassy.
Brume had applied for Schengen visa alongside her coach, Kayode Yahaya, at the U.S. embassy, but the process was delayed.
“We just got our passport back yesterday, and it was too late for us to embark on the trip to Mauritius. My focus now is on the World Championship in Oregon and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Brume stated.
