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Tag: Team Nigeria

  • Olympics: Brume expresses joy at winning first medal, thanks Nigerians for prayers

    Olympics: Brume expresses joy at winning first medal, thanks Nigerians for prayers

    Nigeria’s reigning African record holder, Ese Brume on Tuesday expressed delight at winning the first medal for the country at the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Brume on Tuesday won the very first medal for Team Nigeria in the women’s long jump event at the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

    Brume placed third after she surrendered silver on count back to Britney Reese of the U.S. as both leaped to 6.97m, while Malaika Mihambo of Germany got gold with her last jump with a leap of 7.00m.

    A visibly excited Brume, who was in tears of joy while holding the Nigerian flag said: “Thank you Jesus and thank you all for your prayers. Thank you, thank you so much.”

    Brume breezed through the qualification round on Sunday as her leap of 6.76 m automatically qualified her for Tuesday’s final.

    After an exciting competition during which the lead changed hands frequently between Reese and Brume, Mihambo, who was placed third going into the final round, settled the deal with her last leap.

    Reigning world champion Mihambo started well as she encouraged the crowd to make some noise before taking the lead on her first attempt with a jump of 6.83m.

    But she was instantly overtaken by Nigeria’s in-form jumper Brume with a leading score of 6.97m which set the standard in the first of six attempts.

    The U.S. NCAA Champion and record holder Tara Davis was tipped as one to watch before the final and she got off to a solid start, registering 6.62m to put her in fourth.

    Onto the second attempt and the medal contenders bunched up at the top with Mihambo moving to within 2cm of Brume’s 6.97m and Serbia’s Ivana Spanovic in third (6.91m).

    Reese took top spot on the third attempt, in front of Brume’s jump of 6.97m by virtue of having the second longest effort, but the Brume’s second best jump of 6.88 on her fourth attempt put her back into the overall lead.

    Reese’s fourth attempt of 6.87m meant she trailed Brume by a single centimetre, but the 34-year-old continued to show her great consistency as she moved into the lead on her fifth attempt with a 6.95m jump.

    Into the final round and it was a battle between Mihambo, Reese and Brume for the gold medal.

    On Mihambo’s last jump, she scored 7.00m to move from bronze into gold position.

    Mihambo, who is the current World and European champion, indeed produced the A-level jump and her season’s best (SB) when it mattered the most.

    She overtook Reese on her sixth and final attempt with a jump of 22 feet, 11¾ inches which was enough to win the gold medal as she won the competition by 3cm to become the reigning Olympic champion.

    The 2014 Commonwealth and current African champion, Brume finished knowing she would settle for the bronze position with her final jump score of 6.90m.

    Brittney Reese, who won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics and a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics and placed fifth at the 2008 Olympics scored 6.84m to take silver.

    The highly-rated Davis came sixth with her best jump of 6.84m.

    Great Britain’s Jazmin Sawyers made the cut to complete six jumps, but came eighth with her longest jump of 6.80m, while Abigail Irozuru also of Great Britain finished down in 11th (6.51m) amongst 12 other athletes who competed in the event.

  • Team Nigeria’s George out of women’s 400m, as Felix eyes honour

    Team Nigeria’s George out of women’s 400m, as Felix eyes honour

    Team Nigeria’s Patience George dropped out of reckoning in the women’s 400 metres event of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics losing in the round one heats on Tuesday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that George, who ran in heat 1 of the event at the Olympic Stadium, placed last with a time of 52.41 seconds.

    The 29-year-old Rio 2016 Games semi-finalist, with 52.52, could just not give it as she stayed behind the pack and unable to mount a challenge.

    She would now probably be considering giving up on an individual medal in the event, having not been able to run below 51 seconds in the event in the last five years.

    Her best in recent times has been the 50.76 she did in Beijing in 2015.

    George should now be looking forward to competing successfully in the women’s 4 x 100m relay and 4 x 400m relay.

    Meanwhile, American Allyson Felix is on track to become the most decorated female Olympic track and field athlete.

    Felix qualified for the women’s 400m semi-finals first in her heat, posting a time of 50.84 seconds.

    The 35-year-old is hoping to add to the six gold and three silver medals she already holds from four previous Games.

    This was after having qualified for the 400m and being chosen for the American women’s 4x400m relay team.

  • 2020 Olympics: Aruna not satisfied with athletes’ welfare in Tokyo

    2020 Olympics: Aruna not satisfied with athletes’ welfare in Tokyo

    Team Nigeria’s captain at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Quadri Aruna, is not satisfied with the treatment of athletes at the 2020 Games.

    Aruna, who is Africa’s top-ranked table tennis player, shared his concerns via his Instagram handle @quadriaruna on Friday.

    “You all wanted me to perform well but you removed my coach that qualified me to (who helped me to qualify for) the quarter-finals at the Rio 2016 Olympics,’’ the 32-year-old who exited the Games in the third round, said.

    “I dare you all to remove me (from the National team) because I said the truth.

    “Athletes are being short paid (underpaid) and nobody should complain?

    “If the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, don’t come and address the athletes, these officials will spoil all the good things you (Dare) have been doing’’.

    Aruna, however, is not the only one sharing these concerns from Tokyo.

    Sprint star Blessing Okagbare expressed her displeasure at sports administrators for negligence of duty.

    This is as 10 Nigerian athletes were on Wednesday declared ineligible to compete in the Games’ track and field events which began on Friday by the World Athletics.

    They were declared ineligible for failing to comply with out-of-competition tests.

    “I have said it before and I will say it again, if you don’t have knowledge of sports, not passionate about athletes, then you have no business there as an administrator,” Okagbare wrote on facebook.

    “The sports system in Nigeria is so flawed and we athletes are always at the receiving end.

    “They were busy fighting over power and exercising their pride over Puma contracts/kits forgetting their major responsibility (the athletes.)

    “It is sad that the circle keeps repeating itself and some people will come and say I am arrogant for speaking the truth, it is my career,” Okagbare said.

  • 12 Nigerian athletes cleared, eligible to compete in Tokyo 2020 Olympics

    12 Nigerian athletes cleared, eligible to compete in Tokyo 2020 Olympics

    Reigning Nigeria sprint queen and 100/200m record holder, Blessing Okagbare tops the list of 12 athletes the Athletics Integrity Unit has cleared to compete in the athletics event of the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympics which begins on Friday.

    Okagbare who is making her fourth appearance at the games will be competing in the women’s 100m heat on Friday.

    Also cleared to contest are sprint hurdler, Tobiloba Amusan who is ranked number four in the 100m hurdles; long jumper Ese Brume who tops the world list in her event coming to the games and Grace Nwokocha, the home-based sensation who clocked 11.09 seconds in March at the MOC Grand Prix in Lagos to seal her qualification for the Tokyo Games.

    Others are the trio of Divine Oduduru, Enoch Adegoke and Ushoritse Itshekiri who will be competing in the men’s 100m while Oduduru will also race in the 200m, an event he holds the national record of 19.73 seconds which he set two years ago in Austin, Texas in the USA to win the NCAA gold.

    Shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi who made it to the event’s final at the World Athletics Championship in Doha, Qatar in 2019 is also cleared to compete.

    The 4x400m mixed relay quartet of Imaobong Nse Uko, Patience Okon-George, Nataniel Samson and Ifeanyi Ojeli are also cleared to compete and will be in action on Friday in the first semifinal heat.

    Prince Adeniyi Adisa Beyioku, Secretary General of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria says the athletes are in good spirits as they are determined to return Nigeria to the podium for the first time since 2008 when Okagbare and the women’s 4x100m won Nigeria’s last medals in track and field.

    Beyioku is happy the 12 athletes have been cleared to compete and assured that the federation will continue to be the goose that lays Team Nigeria’s golden eggs at the Olympics.

    Athletics accounts for 13 of the 25 medals won by the country at the games and two of the three gold medals.

  • Tokyo 2020: Oshonaike crashes out after defeat to American opponent

    Tokyo 2020: Oshonaike crashes out after defeat to American opponent

    Liu Juan of the USA beat Nigeria’s Olufunke Oshonaike in their preliminary round singles match in the table tennis event at the 2020 Olympic Games on Saturday.

    Liu, 36, sealed a 4-1 win over Oshonaike, who is competing at her seventh Olympics.

    Oshonaike put up a good fight in the first game going down 11-7 but was no match for her opponents in the second and third games losing 11-3 and 11-4.

    The veteran Olympian took the fourth game 13-11, before Liu won the fifth game 11-4.

    Speaking after her defeat, Oshonaike said:”I just lost, I’m supposed to be kind of sad, but I’m happy that we can be here at the Olympics. This is the spirit of the Games, you lose or win but we are all Olympians.”

    And on the possibility of her appearing at the 2024 Paris Olympics:”Paris 2024? I’m going to be there, but as a spectator.”

    Meanwhile in the Rowing event, Nigeria’s Esther Toko did not progress to the quarterfinals of the women’s Singles Sculls event, having finished 4th in heat 2 of the Repechage clocking a time of 9:07.54.

    Toko needed to at least finish in the top 2 of her heat to get a passage to the quarterfinal round, but this would be a valuable experience for the young Nigerian Rower who is competing in her first Olympics, and should return for Paris 2024.

  • Tokyo 2020: Buhari asks Team Nigeria to repeat Atlanta ‘96 feat

    Tokyo 2020: Buhari asks Team Nigeria to repeat Atlanta ‘96 feat

    President Muhammadu Buhari has charged the Nigerian contingents to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to replicate the performances of past Nigerian Olympians.

    The President, who spoke yesterday at the send-forth ceremony and unveiling of the official outfit for the team, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, also encouraged the Nigerian contingents, saying “you stand on the shoulders of giants.”

    Represented at the ceremony by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), and the President Recalled the exploits of past Nigerian teams, saying “you will also carry with you the encouragement of the great exploits of Nigerian Olympians before you.”

    The event also marked the formal handover of the Nigerian contingent to the Nigeria Olympic Committee and the unveiling of the team’s official outfit and kit.

    Buhari reminded the team of legends like: “Chioma Ajunwa who won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics for the long jump and became the first black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal in a field event.

    “You stand on the shoulders of giants and with the quality and intensity of training you have received and your exploits during the qualification series for the Olympic Games, I am confident that by God’s grace, you will again make history and beat the best in the world.”

    Urging the team to promote the Olympian ideals, President Buhari said: Olympics is about fair play, honesty, teamwork, respect, and friendship. I trust that you will, as worthy ambassadors of Nigeria, represent our nation excellently.”

    At the ceremony were Federal Lawmakers, officials of the Japanese Embassy in Nigeria, 45 athletes and their coaches, officials of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, as well as the Nigeria Olympic Committee, among others.

    Highpoint of the occasion was the formal handover of Team Nigeria to the Nigeria Olympic Committee by the Vice President and the Sports Minister Sunday Dare, and the unveiling of the official outfit and kit of the team.

    Earlier in his remarks, Dare said the athletes were ready to do the country proud and presented to Osinbajo, the made-in-Nigeria kits for the Nigerian contingent.

    President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Engr Habu Gumel thanked the President and the Vice President for honoring Team Nigeria and expressed optimism that the contingent will not disappoint the country.

    Odunayo Adekuoroye, who spoke on behalf of the athletes, assured that the contingent is made up of discipline athletes who will make the nation proud during the outing.

  • Tokyo Olympics: Buhari hosts Team Nigeria on Monday

    Tokyo Olympics: Buhari hosts Team Nigeria on Monday

    President Muhammadu Buhari will on Monday host members of Team Nigeria to the Tokyo Olympics at the Presidential Villa before the final batch of the contingent departs for the Games.

    Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a brief send-forth ceremony for the first batch of the team which left for Japan.

    He said the contingent which would leave in four batches would be formally “sent forth” by the President on Monday as is the tradition.

    The minister explained that the ceremony would also afford the President the opportunity of officially handing over Team Nigeria to the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) in line with age-long tradition.

    He added that President Buhari would also be unveiling the official Team Nigeria uniform to the Games.

    “We are keeping to the tradition of unveiling the team to the President who will in turn hand them over to the NOC.

    “The unveiling of the official wear/equipment will also be done by Mr. President. This is a very symbolic event meant to officially send forth the team to the Games.

    “This should also inspire the athletes and reinforce the fact that the Federal Government and the entire country are behind them,” Dare said.

    The minister also commended the President for the enormous support and resources in preparing and ensuring the athletes do well at the Games.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Team Nigeria, comprising of 58 athletes and 22 coaches, will compete in nine sports at the Tokyo Olympics.

    NAN reports also that the first batch of Team Nigeria comprising athletes, coaches and other officials in canoeing, rowing and table tennis departed Abuja for Japan on Tuesday.

    The second batch comprising those in athletics, taekwondo and wrestling will depart on July 13.

    The third batch are those in gymnastics and badminton and will leave on July 17.

    The last batch comprising members of the male and female basketball teams will depart on July 19.

    NAN reports that the rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games holds from July 23 to Aug. 8 in Tokyo, Japan.

  • Team Nigeria round off home leg of preparations for Tokyo Olympics

    Team Nigeria round off home leg of preparations for Tokyo Olympics

    Team Nigeria athletes and officials camped in Abuja rounded off their home leg of preparations for the Tokyo Olympic Games assuring of their readiness to make the country proud.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that athletes and their coaches, as well as other officials, have been involved in intensive training and camping in Nigeria.

    They are to depart Nigeria in two batches, on Tuesday and July 13, for the overseas leg of their preparations which is scheduled for Kisarazu in Japan.

    Simeon Ebhojaiye, the Director of Federations, Elite Athletes and Development (FEAD), Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, told NAN that preparation for both home-based and foreign-based athletes had been intensive.

    He said the preparations were stepped up in May in readiness for the Games.

    The director who directly supervises Team Nigeria’s preparations for the Games said the home-based athletes had been strategically camped in Lagos, Abuja, Yenagoa and Port Harcourt.

    “These athletes cut across 10 sports events and they were camped in the last few weeks as preparations for the Games gets to a crescendo.

    “Our countdown for the Games commenced in May for the home-based athletes in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Yenagoa, and we have also been monitoring the performances of the foreign-based athletes closely,” he said.

    Patience Okon-George, the current captain of the athletics team which trained in Abuja, told NAN that the team was raring to go and do the nation proud.
    The experienced quarter-miler said training with the foreign-based athletes would now further lift the athletes’ morale and team chemistry.

    “We have been in camp since May and the intense training has been going on well, we even travelled to the U.S. in the course of the training to see if we can qualify for the relays,” she said.
    The Olympian assured that Team Nigeria’s athletics group, with its array of stars both home-based and foreign-based, would take the world by storm at the Tokyo Olympics.

    “I can assure you that Team Nigeria’s athletics group is good to go. We have a lot of athletes who have qualified, such as Blessing Okagbare, Tobi Amusan, Divine Oduduru, Ese Brume and so on,
    “We have been training hard and I think we are good to go,” she said.

    National canoeing coach, Ebenezer Ukwunna, also told NAN at their Jabi Lake training camp that his athletes were putting finishing touches to their training in readiness for the Tokyo Games.

    He said, as African champions, the rowing and canoeing team was not going to the Olympics to make up the number but to win medals.

    “We are going to the Olympics as African champions. So, we know what is at stake, we know what the country is expecting for us and we are prepared for it.
    “Our athletes are African champions and there is no facility they have not handled. We have the support of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, and we are good to go.

    “To whom much is given, much is expected. So, we know the nation is expecting us to come back with laurels and we will not disappoint,” the coach said.
    Nigeria’s sole taekwondo athlete at the forthcoming Olympics, Elizabeth Anyanacho, told NAN that the road to her first Games has been full of ups and downs.

    She said her recent exposure in terms of attending competitions in Africa and Europe had helped to sharpen her skills.

    “I believe that, with the intensive training and exposure, I am going to do well at the Olympics.
    “I just need to stick to the instructions of my coaches and stay focused and full of discipline,’’ Anyanacho said.

    The last phase of camping for Team Nigeria will hold in Kisarazu, before the team departs for the Games Village in Tokyo.

    At the last count, 55 athletes from nine sports — athletics, basketball, badminton, canoe (sprint), rowing, gymnastics, taekwondo, table tennis and wrestling — will be representing Team Nigeria at the Tokyo Games.

    The rescheduled Tokyo Olympics holds from July 23 to Aug. 8.

  • Team Nigeria on course to qualify for Tokyo Olympics relay races

    Team Nigeria on course to qualify for Tokyo Olympics relay races

    Olamide George, the Acting President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has assured that Team Nigeria were on course in seeking qualification for the relay races of the Tokyo Olympics.

    George, who is in Texas in the U.S. with the team, said on Friday that the team would qualify for not just the mixed relay event.

    “We will also qualify for the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m events,” he said.

    George expressed his delight with the team following their performance at the PVAMU meet in Texas.

    “We are happy. But I also believe we can do much better in our next race.

    “We now know what we need to do to secure one of the four available slots on offer,” he said.

    Nigeria’s 4x400m mixed relay team got off to a good start at the PVAMU meet on Wednesday, running a new three minutes 18.53 seconds Nigerian record to win the event.

    The win has now put Team Nigeria within five places of sealing a spot in the event at the Tokyo Olympics.

    The quartet of Imaobong Nse, Patience Okon-George, Nathaniel Samson and Sikiru Adeyemi made history as the first quartet to dorn the country’s colours in the event.

    The team, according to the latest World Athletics ranking, are now 21st.

    They are behind Germany, who presently occupy the 16th qualifying spot, Kenya, France, Czech Republic and Colombia respectively.

    But Team Nigeria will need to better the time ran by Germany (3:16.85) to become one of the 16 finalists for the event in Tokyo.

  • Tokyo Olympics: Team Nigeria to compete in 11 sports, says Minister

    Tokyo Olympics: Team Nigeria to compete in 11 sports, says Minister

    Team Nigeria will compete in just 11 sports with comparative advantage at the Tokyo Olympics, Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare has said.

    The minister made this known in a statement issued by his Special Adviser (Media), John Joshua-Akanji on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Dare declared that the days of jamboree at the Olympics are over, as Nigeria would only leverage on sports with comparative advantage and prospects of a podium finish.

    He said preparing and leveraging on such short will be the focus of the ministry.

    “The Olympics is less than six months away and we have started camping our athletes to get them to full fitness ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

    “We have four camps in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Akure and Lagos. From next year we will commence a more robust camping with some athletes going abroad to train with their foreign- based counterparts, he added.

    Dare said the early camping which are in stages will will be intensified with all the COVID-19 protocols put in place.

    “The first camping exercise was in Pankshin, Plateau State, while the second phase camping ended on Dec. 24, 2020. Lagos , Bayelsa, Port Harcourt and Abuja were the locations for the second phase.

    “We started the Pre-Olympics camping early to ensure that the Athletes that will be representing the country in the Tokyo Olympics put up podium performances,” he added.

    The minister emphasised that Team Nigeria will be going to the Olympics with just 11 sports, unlike in the past when all the sports that qualified went and returned empty handed.

    “We need to compete with other nations to win and not to complete the numbers. We have decided to focus on 11 sports where we have comparative advantage,” he added.

    The 2020 Tokyo Olympics which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic will now hold in the summer of 2021.