Nigerian Sprinter, Favour Ofili, has opened up on the secret of her breathtaking performance at the Adidas Atlanta City Games at the weekend.
Ofili who shattered world record in the women’s 150m straight race, wowed many with her speed at the Piedmont Park in Atlanta on Saturday evening.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelShe dazzled the crowd with a phenomenal time of 15.85 seconds, erasing the previous world record of 16.23 seconds set by Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo in 2018.
With this stunning victory, Ofili became the first woman in history to complete the rarely contested 150m distance in less than 16 seconds
Following the achievement, Favour Ofili credited her extraordinary achievement to divine favour and the unwavering support of her coach, who has been a pivotal figure in her training. “I’m speechless. The Lord is good, and it’s marvellous in my sight,” Ofili said.
“Honestly, it’s all God. I’m surprised by the time, yes, but I know I put in the work. I trust my coach, I trust his programme, and I knew that at the right time, the Lord would make it happen.”
While the 150m race is not typically a standard championship event, its unique combination of speed and endurance has made it increasingly popular at street meets.
Ofili, unfazed by the unusual distance, elaborated on her race strategy, highlighting the valuable guidance she received from her support team.
“I got some advice: treat it like it’s a long 100 metres. Drive more, and if the track is bouncy, just let the track do the work,” she explained. Just like a Pilot trainer would ask who he believes has mastered the game will say” just relax and fly the plane” Ofili recalls her coach’s words of encouragement.
“My coach always used to say, ‘Relax and sprint; that’s your favourite.’ That’s exactly what I did, and it worked.”
Ofili’s remarkable run not only earned her a world record but also saw her outpace American sprint prodigy Tamari Davis, who finished second with an impressive time of 16.14 seconds, also faster than the previous world best.
Saturday’s race marked a historic moment for Nigeria, as Ofili became only the second athlete from the country to hold a world record in athletics, joining Tobi Amusan, the reigning world 100m hurdles champion, in this elite class.
With her eyes now firmly set on future competitions, including a medal bid at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Ofili is on the verge of a breakthrough on the global athletics stage.
READ ALSO:Nigerians Hail Favour Ofili Despite 200m Medal Miss
Recall that Ofili who was excluded from the 100m race of the last Olympics due to poor handling of her registration by the AFN, narrowly missed the podium with a sixth-place finish in the 200m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She also finished 6th in heat two of the 4×100 relay alongside compatriots Justina Tiana Eyakpobeyan, Rosemary Chukwuma and Tima Godbless.
A panel set up by Federal Government to investigate the Ofili saga at the end of the Olympics recommended that the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) pay Favour Ofili compensation for the “disappointment and depression” she suffered after being omitted from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The panel’s report, submitted to the defunct Ministry of Sports Development, also recommended sanctions for AFN officials. Specifically, the panel suggested a payment of N8 million to Ofili and asked that the officials be punished by the relevant authorities.
With the scrapping of Ministry of Sports, the job of implementing the recommendation fell directly on the laps of returnee National Sports Commission (NSC) led by sports administrator Shehu Dikko.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
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