Sports
Olympics: 35 Track-And-Field Athletes To Represent Nigeria
Nigeria’s track and field contingent for the 2024 Paris Olympics has been unveiled by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, featuring a formidable roster of 35 athletes poised to compete across various disciplines.
Among the male sprinters are Favour Ashe, Godson Brume, and Kayinsola Ajayi, set to ignite the track in the 100-metre event. Udodi Onwuzurike will bring his speed to the 200-metre race, while Chidi Okezie and Samuel Ogazi will challenge in the demanding 400-metre discipline.
Edose Ibadin will carry Nigeria’s hopes in the 800m, and Ezekiel Nathaniel will showcase his prowess in the 400m hurdles.
In the field events, Prosper Chinecherem and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi aim for glory in the javelin and shot put, respectively.
On the women’s side, sprinters like Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, and Tima Godbless will represent Nigeria in the 100m and 200m events, while Ella Onojuvwevwo and Esther Elo Joseph will compete in the challenging 400m.
Tobi Amusan will bring her expertise to the 100-metre hurdles, and Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro, and Prestina Ochonogor will leap into action in the long jump. High jump specialist Temitope Adesina and hammer thrower Sade Olatoye add depth to Nigeria’s field event lineup.
The relay teams, both men’s and women’s, are poised to deliver thrilling performances, showcasing Nigeria’s speed and teamwork on the track.
With a history of consistent participation in the Olympics since their debut in Helsinki in 1952, Nigeria’s contingent of 82 athletes across various sports underscores the country’s commitment to excellence on the global sporting stage.
As the Paris 2024 Olympics draw near, expectations are high for Nigeria’s track and field athletes to shine, inspired by a legacy of achievement and national pride.
FULL LIST
Men’s 100m: Favour Ashe, Godson Brume, Kayinsola Ajayi
Men’s 200m: Udodi Onwuzurike
Men’s 400m: Chidi Okezie, Samuel Ogazi
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor