Nigeria’s sprint sensation Favour Ofili has secured a place in the final of the women’s 200 metres event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The 21-year-old clocked a Season’s Best (SB) time of 22.05 seconds to finish second in her semi-final race, earning an automatic qualifying spot for the final.
She finished behind Julien Alfred, who won the first semi final race with a time of 21.98s on Monday.
Ofili‘s achievement is historic, as she becomes the first Nigerian woman to reach the 200 metres final at the Olympic Games since Mary Onyali’s bronze medal-winning performance at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
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The young sprinter’s journey to the final has been particularly impressive, given the administrative challenges she faced before the Games, which prevented her from competing in the women’s 100 metres event.
Meanwhile, in the men’s race, Udodi Onwuzurike will get a second chance to become the fourth Nigerian man to reach the semifinals of the 200 metres at the Olympics.
After finishing fifth in his opening round heat with a time of 20.55s, he will compete in the Repechage Round, reserved for athletes who failed to secure automatic semifinal spots.
Notably, Divine Oduduru, who reached the semifinals in 2016 and 2021, was the last Nigerian to advance to the semifinals, but did not make it to the final.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
