THE Minister of Sports, Senator John Owan Enoh, has hailed Nigeria’s athletes for their performances at the ongoing 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Rosemary Chukwuma secured her place in the semi-finals of the women’s 100m by finishing third in her heat with a time of 11.26 seconds.
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, whom the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Chief Tonobok Okowa, described as a consistent and dependable athlete, also qualified for the men’s Shot Put final for the second consecutive Olympic Games.
Competing in his second Olympic Games for Nigeria, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi qualified for the final of the men’s Shot Put with a best effort of 21.13m.
Enekwechi, with a throw of 21.13m, finished 5th in the Group B qualification round and 9th overall to book him a second consecutive Olympics final.
He became the first Nigerian athlete to make the finals at the ongoing Paris Olympics. This marks a significant achievement for Enekwechi, who continues to demonstrate his prowess on the international stage.
Senator Enoh praised their performances, stating, “Our athletes have shown great resilience and dedication. We are proud of their efforts and look forward to more success as the competition progresses.”
The Nigerian quartet of Samuel Ogazi, Ella Onojuvwevwo, Emmanuel Ifeanyi Ojeli, and Patience Okon-George also put up a commendable performance in the Mixed 4x400m relay.
They narrowly missed out on a place in the final, finishing fourth in their heat with a new Nigerian Record of 3:11.99. Despite not making it to the final, they ran a brilliant race against strong competitors, with Great Britain winning in a National Record of 3:10.61, followed by the Netherlands and Italy.
Despite a strong start, Olympic debutant Tima Godbless placed sixth in her heat, clocking in at 11.33 seconds.
In the women’s Discus qualification Group A, Ashley Anumba made her Olympic debut, throwing a mark of 58.83 meters to finish 14th in her group. Although she did not advance to the final, Anumba’s participation was a significant milestone in her career.
Prior to the start of the athletics events, Minister Enoh encouraged the athletes to “fight till the very end” for every top spot possible, highlighting the importance of resilience and determination.
It’s been a very disappointing performance for Team Nigeria since the Games started.
Boxing, football and Table Tennis contingent have exited the Games in the first hurdle while the female basketball national team D’Tigress are still in.
D’Tigress have a most-win encounter against Canada on Sunday (today) if they hope to reach the quarter-finals. One win and one defeat is their scorecard so far.
Team Nigeria’s participation at the Games has been tainted by doping and the deliberate omitting of an athlete’s name for an event she qualified to compete in at the Summer Games.
Eighteen-Eleven Media