Bambo Akani, the founder of Making of Champions (MoCs), has commended the efforts of Ruth Usoro and Favour Ofili in qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics later this year.
Akani, in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos, said both athletes’ qualification was not a mere feat.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Usoro qualified for the Olympics in both the long jump and triple jump at Big 12 Indoor Championships in Lubbock, Texas in U.S.
On the other hand, Ofili broke the African record in the women’s 200m indoor event at the SEC Indoor Championships, Fayetteville in the U.S.
“They have increased the number of Nigeria’s qualified athletes in track and field to nine.
“Last weekend was an explosive one for Nigeria in track and field as two of the country’s student-athletes based in the U.S qualified for the Olympics.
“Ruth Usoro made history by becoming the first Nigerian athlete (male or female) to qualify for the Olympics in both the long jump and triple jump.
“It was a feat she performed on two consecutive days while competing at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in Lubbock, Texas, having won both titles in 2020 before the track season was cut short,” Akani said.
The MoC founder also commended the resilience of Usoro in competing in the women’s triple jump.
“She was ranked number one in the NCAA, having achieved a national record (NR) of 14.28m in her season opener in January.
“Her performances were indeed landmarks in Nigerian athletics history as no athlete has ever qualified for the Olympic Games in both the long jump and triple jump at the same time.
“One Nigerian athlete that may have achieved this laudable feat is Charlton Ehizuelen, who was one of the best jumpers in the world, set for glory at the 1976 Olympics,” he said.
NAN reports that the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were postponed till 2021 following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 Olympic Games has now been scheduled to take place in Tokyo from July 23 to Aug. 8.