Blessing Okagbare
Africa’s
fastest woman, Blessing Okagbare, will settle for nothing less than
gold medal at the 2015 IAAF World Championships holding in Beijing,
China.
It is the first time she will return to
the Bird Nest in Beijing after winning bronze in the women’s long jump
at the 2008 Olympics. But despite having a strong field of contestants
to deal with in the women’s 100m and 200m, she believes this is her best
opportunity to get the job done.
Prior to the 2013 edition of the World
Championships where Okagbare won bronze in the women’s 200m, the nation
waited 14 years before Team Nigeria could win a medal in Moscow. Francis
Obikwelu and Gloria Alozie, who won bronze and silver respectively at
the 1999 edition, were the last Nigerians to mount the podium before
Okagbare.
Two years ago, Okagbare lost the top two
spots to Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Ivory Coast’s Murielle
Ahoure. The duo are back again among several other top contenders, but
the Nigerian is undaunted.
The Jamaican sprinter has posted the
fastest time in the world in the women’s 100m this year, a blistering
10.74 seconds in Paris, and the joint second-fastest time with a 10.79
sec in her homeland.
“It’s a privilege being Africa’s number
one female sprinter; I feel blessed. So much pressure comes with being a
top performer, especially when you have to deal with criticisms from
Nigerian fans. But somehow, I’ve overcome that pressure from critics so
that I can always focus on what’s ahead. I try focussing on what I can
do,” Okagbare, who will also feature in the women’s 100m and the 4x100m,
told Sunday PUNCH.
“I’m working my way to be world’s number
one. Shelly-Ann is a great athlete; I can’t take that way from her. But
every time I go out on the track, I do not worry about Shelly-Ann or any
other athlete. At that moment, it is what Blessing Okagbare can do. I
try not to think about what other people can do but what I can
accomplish.
“I have my hopes and expectations for
this year. I hope I can accomplish my targets. My goal for Beijing is to
win that gold medal that my profile is missing.”
Okagbare will step on the track today as
the women’s 200m event begin. She, however, admitted the significance of
the stadium in her career.
She said, “The stadium in Beijing means a
lot to me because, that was the track I won my first and most priceless
medal. Before the 2008 Olympics, I never understood what it meant to be
an Olympian and a medallist but I was able to achieve that at the age
of 19 which makes it a very great memory.”
While Okagbare has become more familiar
with top competitions since hitting the limelight in 2008, newcomer Tega
Odele will hope to surprise the world when he steps on the track with
some of the best sprinters in the world.
Odele, who shocked the nation when he
beat the likes of favourites Obinna Metu and Ogho-Oghene Egwero with his
personal best of 20.47 seconds in the men’s 200m event at the national
trials, insisted he could post a better time.
“The trials were tough but I knew I was
going to win. I was very sure that I would beat them (Metu and Egwero),
but I didn’t know the time I was going to run,” Odele said after his
victory in Warri, Delta State.
“I had the second fastest time going into
this competition and then I have been running very fast in practice.
When I saw that the times were coming up in practice, I knew I was
ready.
“I can’t predict the outcome of the World
Championships, but it will be great running alongside the best
sprinters in the world. Even though it will be my first major outing,
I’m not ruling myself out of the competition. I’ve practiced well, the
rest is in God’s hand.”
Other hopefuls at the World Championships
are Gloria Asumnu, Stephanie Kalu, Cecilia Francis, Deborah Odeyemi,
Patience Okon-George, Regina George, Oluwatosin Adeloye, Margaret Etim,
Rita Ossai, Uhunoma Naomi Osazuwa, Miles Ukaoma, Doreen Amata (high
jump), Lindley Weyinmi Lindsay (100m hurdles), Tosin Oke (triple jump)
and Amaka Ogoegbunam (400m hurdles).
The quintet of Okon-George, Oladoye,
Adeloye, George and Ossai will team up for the women’s 4x400m event but
they have to contend with a strong American team of Francena McCorory,
Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards-Ross, Phyllis Francis and Natasha
Hastings.
Nigerian-born Christine Ohuruogu will
also lead Britain’s relay team as top contenders in the 4x400m event.
They finished third at the IAAF World Relays and three of that team –
Eilidh Child, Anyika Onuora and Seren Bundy-Davies – made the team to
Beijing
No comments:
Post a Comment