Tokyo 2020 Athletics: Okagbare, Amusan, 10 other Nigerians cleared, eligible to compete

Blessing Okagbare is among the 12 athletes the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has cleared to compete in the athletics event of the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The reigning 100/200m Nigerian record holder who is making her fourth appearance at the games will be competing in the women’s 100m heat on Friday.

The AIU clearance follows the disqualification of 10 track and field athletes earlier billed to represent Nigeria at the rescheduled Games in the Japanese capital city.

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.

Read Also: 10 Nigerian athletes among 20 disqualified from Tokyo Olympic track

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.

Team Nigeria will be hoping to return to the podium in Athletics for the first time since 2008 when Okagbare and the women’s 4x100m won Nigeria’s last medals in track and field.

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

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now