Nigerian athletes’ ended their campaign without a medal at the ongoing World U-20 Athletics Championships in Lima, Peru, having missed the podium in two finals.
This barren run without medals in track and field competition marks the struggle after the Paris 2024 Olympics where no athletes ended with a podium finish.
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Just like in the Paris Olympics, Prestina Ochonogor raised the hope of winning a medal alive after she secured her spot in the long jump final with a leap of 6.28 meters on Tuesday, August 27.
She however finished below expectation, earning fifth in the women’s long jump with a 6.21m leap.
In the women’s 100m, Justina Eyakpobeyan who advanced to the semi-finals with a time of 11.61 seconds, also finished seventh in the women’s 100m final with a time of 11.63s.
Ella Onojuvwevwo, finished fifth with a time of 52.61s, missing out of the podium finish in the women’s 400m while Gafar Badmus placed fifth in his semi-final heat with a time of 47.43s, missing the finals.
However, Caleb Joshua, who initially finished third in his heat in the men’s 400m was eventually disqualified for a lane infringement.
It was a tale of medal-less streak as Oseiwe Salami and Taiwo Kudoro ended seventh in their heats with times of 54.06s and 1:01.51s in the men’s and women’s 400m hurdles, respectively.
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Yet another full fledged Nigerian born kid Udeme Okon won gold for another country (South Africa) in the same tournament.
We keep returning home empty handed from these competitions while our kids raised and nutured in the right environments snap up all colours of medals…..and someone will request a pat on the back of the clueless dummies we call sports ministers.
Why didn’t Samuel Ogazi participate?
Yet another full fledged Nigerian born kid Udeme Okon won gold for another country (South Africa) in the same tournament.
We keep returning home empty handed from these competitions while our kids raised and nutured in the right environments snap up all colours of medals…..and someone will request a pat on the back of the clueless dummies we call sports ministers.