2) Blessing Okagbare & the women’s 4x200m team:
This part has been segmented into two as there are achievements by Nigerian teams equally worthy of mention. Being a member of Nigeria’s 4x200m GOLD-winning team in Bahamas, it’s not out of place equating Blessing Okagbare in the same position with the team. However, let’s grade them separately.
i) Okagbare:
Arguably Nigeria’s No.1 elite athlete at the moment, Okagbare has shared the biggest stage with the best in the business. Prior to the Worlds, we rated Okagbare as one of five athletes likely going to win the women’s 100m title. It didn’t happen as we predicted, but she still finished as one of the Top 8 in the championships.
The 100m National Record holder, couldn’t have wished for a better start to her year than the GOLD she won with Team Nigeria in the women’s 4x200m in Bahamas in May. She was also part of the Nigerian quartet that finished 7th in the 4x100m with a time of 42.99s, which importantly, qualified Nigeria for Rio 2016 Olympics.
Okagbare bolted to an early lead in the Diamond League this year, beating a stacked line-up to win in Shanghai with a time of 10.98s. It was her second 100m race of the year, after finishing 2nd in 11.05s at the Jamaica Invitational behind Elaine Thompson who won in 10.94s. Up till the last Diamond League in Zurich, Okagbare was still in the frame to claim the Diamond Race trophy, which Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce eventually won, following up on her impressive victory in Beijing.
By all indications, it wasn’t the season Okagbare would have wished for, having the 3rd fastest time this year with 10.80s which she achieved at the Paris DL, just marginally short of her African Record of 10.79s.
With so much controversies in the lead-up to the African Games, Okagbare shrugged off talks about lack of patriotism and was instrumental in Team Nigeria’s GOLD-winning feat in the women’s 4x100m relay in Brazzaville. Competing against an Ivory Coast team that had an in form Marie Josee Ta Lou who did a double at the Games, Okagbare played her part as she ran a monstrous 2nd leg that gave Nigeria the lead, getting the baton from Cecilia Francis and handing it to Ngozi Onwumere, who ran a perfect curve before Lawretta Ozoh anchored home.
Last year we ranked Okagbare as our top athlete for the year, and this year she is now ranked 2nd. She might not have won an individual medal this year, but she can be comforted in the fact that she has two relay GOLDs to show for her efforts in 2015.
ii) Women’s 4x200m Relay Team:
The quartet of Okagbare, Regina George, Dominque Duncan and Christy Udoh were Nigeria’s shining light at the World Relays in Bahamas. They made sure Nigeria had a medal to show for their outing in the North American country, returning with the phoenix of the event….GOLD.
It could be argued that a lot of factors worked for them, with both USA (dropping the baton) and Jamaica somehow contriving to gift Nigeria the initiative, but hey, they took full advantage and didn’t bottle the opportunity to run a World Leading mark of 1.30.52.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-DUS0coZlk
It was moments of”hands covering the mouth” in disbelief as the race was cliffhanger all through, especially in the last leg. Bahamas who had the impressive Shanuae Miller in their ranks almost soured the race for Nigeria, with the 400m world silver medallist running the fastest split as she closed the gap, nearly nicking it only for Udoh to hold off and secure the win.
Last year, Nigeria won only one medal at the World Relays, bronze in the women’s 4x400m. This year the 4x200m team upgraded the country’s returns to GOLD, and the team told us exclusively in this video below what the victory meant to them.
