Julius Okorie
Are we about to see a repeat of what happened at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996?
At that occasion, Policewoman Chioma Ajunwa clinched Nigeria’s first Olympic Gold medal after delivering 7.12m in long jump.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelNow, fast forward 28 years to Paris Olympics in 2024, Nigeria’s hope of clinching a medal reached an all-time high Tuesday, as Nigeria’s trio of Usoro Ruth, Brume Ese and Ochonogor Prestina whose fans have already given the acronym UBO stole the show in the semifinals of long jump event.
Indeed, it was an all Nigerian affair as the ladies simply lined up with Brume leading the pack with 6.76m.
With 12 finalists including three Nigerians set to clash, is there a reason why at least one of them will not end up at the podium? I doubt it.
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Optimistically, we can say the possibility of Nigeria picking a medal is ratio three to 12 or 25%, while the rest contestants have a chance of ratio one to 12 or 8.33%. That is not to say others will be onlookers.
The three athletes will compete in the finals on Thursday, 8th August 2024, against tough contenders from Germany, the USA, France, Italy, and Romania.
Ese is one of Nigeria’s medal hopefuls at the Olympics as the long jumper has kept her consistency in the circuit to stay among the top three in her event in the last four years.
It is the first time three Nigerian women have qualified for the final of the Women’s Long Jump at the Olympics. Recall that Ese is a Tokyo Olympics Bronze medalist.
Brume leapt a distance 6.76, the fourth best jump in the heat to lead the Nigerian contingent.
The double Commonwealth Games champion who was just 0.01m above the 6.75 automatic qualification mark was followed by Ruth Usoro who leapt 6.68 while Prestina Ochonogor qualified 7th best with a mark of 6.65m.
United States still lead the medals table with 82 medals comprising 22 gold, 32 silver and 29 Bronze, followed by China, Australia and France.
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.
