Nigeria’s 2nd Relay Medal in Olympic History is probably the most iconic – not just because it was the first medal that any Nigerian woman won at the Olympics. The manner in which the quartet of Beatrice Utondu, Faith Idehen, Mary Onyali and Christy Opara-Thompson celebrated their Bronze medal in the women’s 4x100m at Barcelona ’92 is one of the most enduring Olympic moments and encapsulates what the Games is all about! There is a certain pride one feels watching this clip when you hear the British commentator exclaim almost immediately “..also going well is Nigeria! Nigeria going really well into this first change!” Enjoy!
Rank outsiders before the race, the elation of Team Nigeria’s quartet was heightened by the fact that though they had just pipped France at the line for the Bronze, they were unsure if they had actually won it until the results appeared on the big screen – cue delirious celebrations! Here is a clip of the Olympic TV Ad that was spawned by their awesome celebration, which has etched them forever in the memories of the global Olympic movement!
One of the quartet, Mary Onyali, would go on to become Nigeria’s most decorated athlete of all time, winning an individual bronze medal in the 200 metres at Atlanta ’96, and eventually appearing in 5 consecutive Olympic Games – unprecedented and still unmatched by any other Nigerian Track & Field Athlete!
The World Relays is a new annual competition (the 1st edition being held in The Bahamas on May 24th/25th), where the world’s best Track & Field nations will compete over 10 different events – 4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m, 4x800m & 4x1500m (both men and women). There is a total prize fund of $1.4 million up for grabs, and for the 4x100m & 4x400m, the 2014 World Relays will serve as the qualifiers for the 2015 World Championships (as will the 2015 World Relays for the 2016 Olympics). For viewers in Nigeria and Africa, the World Relays will show LIVE on SuperSports on May 24th/25th – more details soon!
