African Championships Silver medallist Nwanneka Okwelogu has become the latest Nigerian athlete to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after setting a Personal Best (PB) of 17.91m in the women’s Shot put event in Florida on Saturday, May 28, 2016.
The Harvard University Junior was competing at the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round held from May 26 to 28 at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, and won her event, finishing ahead of the entire field in her region.
The IAAF qualifying mark for the event is 17.75m, and Okwelogu’s new mark puts her at No. 27 on the 2016 world rankings. Tennessee’s Cassie Wertman (17.20m) and Raven Saunders (17.12m) followed in 2nd and 3rd overall respectively.
The 21-year old’s victory saw her qualifying for the NCAA Division I Men and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships to be held from June 8 to 11 in Eugene, Oregon. She also qualified for the Discus throw after finishing 5th overall with a mark of 54.75m.
An excited Okwelogu went on to post the good news on Instagram saying: “So this just happened: threw 17.91. Won the East Regional Championship. Qualified for the Olympics.
“I’d like to thank everyone who’s wished me well this season, my teammates who have driven me with their own success, and my coach who has never given up on me. Catch me dropping bombs in Rio.”
It will be recalled that the thrower, who is studying Human Evolutionary Biology, won the women’s Shot put at the Penn Relays last month with a throw of 17.16m.
Photo Credit: David Maialetti
