AFN prays for better luck as Ese Brume begins medal chase today

Ogazi, Ezekiel break 400m, hurdles records
Ace jumper, Ese Brume, will begin her quest for a medal at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games today. Brume is making her third appearance at the Olympics. In her first outing at Rio 2016, she made it to the final, and on her second outing in Tokyo, Japan, the jumper grabbed a bronze when Team Nigeria’s hopes for medals had faded.
 
Brume secured a historic fourth long jump title at the 23rd African Championships in Douala, Cameroon, last month, becoming the first athlete to win four long jump titles in the competition’s history. She is also the first African to win two long jump medals at the World Athletics Championships.
 
This morning at the Stade de Paris,  Brume is aiming to become the first  African to achieve the same in one event at the Olympics. Yesterday, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) President, Tonobok Okowa, turned into a prayer warrior, praying for good fortune for Brume and other Nigerian track and field stars who are waiting for their events at the Paris Olympics.
 
Speaking with The Guardian from Stade de Paris, after the morning session of events, Okowa said: “I am praying for Mother luck to smile at Ese Brume, Tobi Amusan, and other Nigerian athletes who are yet to compete here in Paris. I believe in the ability of Brume and Amusan to deliver on the big stage.
“They have done it before and I believe they can do it again. I also pray that Favour Ofili should make it to the final and get a medal for us in the 200m event.”
  
Amusan will begin her campaign on Friday when the women’s 100m hurdles will start.
 
Meanwhile, Team Nigeria’s athletes continued with their remarkable strides in Paris, yesterday.  Quartermiler, Ezekiel Nathaniel, broke a 12-year record to qualify for the semifinals of the men’s 400m hurdles, while Samuel Ogazi shattered a 24-year-old record by advancing to the semifinals in the men’s 400m.
 
Nathaniel became the first Nigerian athlete in 12 years to reach the semifinals of the 400m hurdles at the Olympics. He secured his spot by finishing second in Heat Four with a time of 48.32 seconds, earning an automatic qualification.

The last Nigerian to reach that stage in the event was Amaechi Morton, at the London 2012 Olympics. On his part, Ogazi ran a new personal best of 44.50 seconds in the men’s 400m, finishing second behind USA’s Quincy Hall. The American won the race in 44.28 seconds.
 
Ogazi’s impressive performance marked the first time in 24 years that a Nigerian male quarter-miler has qualified for the 400m semifinals at the Olympics.