Tears of joy as Nigeria’s favorite Ofili storms into the 200m final.
Written by Taiwo Paul on August 6, 2024
Ofili advanced to the final after taking the second automatic slot in the race on Monday, reigniting Nigeria’s chances for a medal at the Games.
She finished with a season’s best time of 22.05 seconds, after St Lucia’s Julien Alfred, the 100m winner, who crossed in 21.98 seconds. Mary Long of the United States placed third, finishing in 22:30.
Ofili is the first Nigerian to attain the milestone since Mary Onyali advanced to the final of the women’s 200m event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the United States.
Ofili, born in 2002, approximately six years after Onyali accomplished the feat, will be looking to improve her compatriot’s bronze medal performance. The final is set for Wednesday at 8:40 p.m.
The athlete’s remarkable race came after she was disqualified from the 100m race due to administrative errors.
Meanwhile, Blessing Oborududu has advanced to the semi-finals of the 68 kg women’s freestyle wrestling.
Oborududu defeated Linda Morais of Canada in the first round, 8-2. She then defeated France’s Koumba Larrouque in the quarterfinals, 6-2.
