IT was mixed fortunes for Team Nigeria on the first day of track and field events of the Paris 2024 Olympics, with Favour Ofili’s appeal not succeeding while Rosemary Chukwuma advanced to the women’s 100m semi-finals and two other athletes failed to progress in their disciplines.
Ofili had inexplicably not been registered for the women’s 100m despite qualifying, but there was a bit of hope that she could be reinstated before today’s heats.
However, her name was missing from the startlist and she expressed her dismay in X posts, lashing out at the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Olympic Committee.
“Sadly, nothing has been done…I’m yet to see or hear anyone is being punished for what the NOC and AFN did to me,” the 21-year-old sprinter wrote.
“Athletes shouldn’t be getting punished for things out of their control. Who assigned federations and/or Olympic committees to enter athletes into Olympic Games?
“Is it World Athletics? If so, should they not hold them accountable when they fail to do their job by not entering athletes in events they qualify and want to compete?
“NOC and AFN…This is not the first time you guys are doing this so don’t think this is over because it is not.”
Ofili, who is Nigeria’s best prospect in sprints, male or female, will compete in the 200m, where she is the national record holder, and 4x100m relay.
Of the two Nigerian athletes that were entered for the women’s 100m, Rosemary Chukwuma booked her spot in the semi-finals after finishing third in her heat in a time of 11.26s.
Ewa Swoboda won that race in a season’s best of 10.99s, with Great Britain’s Dina Asher Smith second 11.01s.
The other Nigerian in the women’s 100m, Tima Godbless, placed sixth in her heat in 11.33s.
African champion Gina Bass won the heat in 11.01s, while Mujinga Kambundji (11.05s) and Delphine Nkansa (11.20s) finished second and third respectively.
Meanwhile, Chukwuma has been drawn in a tough-looking heat for tomorrow’s semi-finals.
She will be up against top athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Bass, with only two automatic final spots available.
In women’s high jump, Nigerian national record holder Temitope Adeshina failed to qualify for the final after finishing 19th in the overall standings with her best clearance of 1.88m.
Adeshina, the first Nigerian high jumper to reach the Olympics since Doreen Amata in 2016, finished ninth in Group B after missing her three attempts at 1.92m.
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