Team Nigeria is on the brink of securing their first medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with sprinter Favour Ofili competing in the women’s 200m final and wrestler Blessing Oborududu vying for bronze in the women’s 68kg freestyle event today.
Favour Ofili advanced to the 200m final with a new season’s best time of 22.05 seconds, finishing second behind Julien Alfred in the first semi-final. This performance improved upon her 22.24 seconds from the heats on Sunday. Ofili is the second Nigerian athlete to reach a track and field final at the 2024 Olympics, following shot put thrower Chukwuebuka Enekwechi. Notably, she is also the first Nigerian woman to qualify for the 200m final in 28 years, with the last instance being Mary Onyali’s bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Ofili recorded the third-fastest time in the semi-finals, behind Julien Alfred (21.98 seconds) and Gabby Thomas (21.86 seconds). In the final, she will compete from lane three and face strong competitors including Great Britain’s Daryll Neita and Dina Asher-Smith, whom she defeated in the heats.
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Meanwhile, Blessing Oborududu’s bid for gold in the women’s 68kg freestyle wrestling came to a halt with a narrow 3-1 defeat to Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova in the semi-finals. Despite missing out on gold, Oborududu remains in contention for a bronze medal and will face North Korea’s Pak Sol Gum in the repechage bout.
Oborududu, who secured silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, had earlier delivered a commanding 8-2 victory over Canadian Linda Morais in the quarterfinals. Her road to the semi-finals included a notable 6-2 win over France’s Koumba Larroque, showcasing her resilience and skill.
