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August 12, 2013

IAAF: Okagbare wins silver, ends Nigeria’s 14-year wait

Okagbare 

Blessing Okagbare got Nigeria’s first medal at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow on Sunday after leaping 6.99 metres in the women’s long jump to finish second behind USA’s Brittney Reese (7.01), who became the first woman to win three long jump titles at the world championships.

It was Nigeria’s first medal since 1999 when Gloria Alozie won silver in the women’s 100m hurdles and Francis Obikwelu won bronze in the men’s 200m at Seville, Spain.

Okagbare said, “I give glory to the almighty God, I thank Him for everything, I also thank Him for using me because he could have used anybody, I thank Him for using me. I also thank all members of my family, friends and relations for their support.

“It’s actually harder than people think because this is a big stage. I was focussed on my jumps and didn’t get distracted.”

Reese, who won the event in 2009 and 2011, had managed to qualify for the final after a below-par performance in Saturday’s qualifying round. She started with a 6.50m leap but eventually recorded three foul jumps in her attempts.

It was the only seven-metre jump of the competition and left Okagbare, who briefly led in the first round with 6.89 and later improved to 6.99, with silver.

Serbia’s Ivana Spanovic was third with a national record of 6.82m on her fifth attempt.

Okagbare will be on the tracks today for the semi-finals of the women’s 100m. she qualified from the heat with 11.03 seconds, while Gloria Asunmu also advanced with her 11.27 seconds. Nigeria’s Stephanie Kalu crashed out in the heat after running 11.67 to finish fifth in her group.

In the women’s 400m event, Regina George and Omolara Omotoso failed to pick tickets to the final.
George failed in her attempt despite posting a personal best of 50.84 to finish third behind Botswana’s Amantle Montsho (49.56) and Russia’s Kseniya Ryzhova (50.48).

Omotoso finished seventh in 52.38 seconds in her group, as American Francena McCorory the race in 49.86 to qualify. Antonina Krivoshapka of Russia (49.99) and Jamaica’s Stephanie McPherson (49.99) qualified from the group.

 

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