Meet Nigeria's current queen in the sports world

She has been tipped to replace Chioma Ajunwa, erstwhile Nigeria's queen of sports. Meet the fast woman Africa as she races on.

Blessing Okagbare has won
Nigeria’s first medal in Moscow as
she leaped 6.99 metres to clinch the
silver medal in the long jump event
final.

The Sapele-born athlete qualified for
the final of the Women’s long jump
event at the on-going IAAF World
Championship in Moscow with a
jump of 6.83m, placing second in the
qualification behind Great Britain’s
Shara Proctor who jumped a distance
of 6.85m in her first attempt to
automatically qualify for the final.
The minimum qualification
requirement was 6.75m or at least the
12 best performances.

Blessing Okagbare, who is the
country’s hope to win its first gold
medal at the World Athletic in
Moscow, became the first Nigerian
and African woman to duck under
10.80 seconds in the women’s 100m
dash when she smashed the African
women’s 100m record twice on her
way to victory at the London
Anniversary Games two weeks ago.

Her performance on the track this
season has given Nigerians hope of
medals in the world championship.
Based on her achievements lately,
Team Nigeria registered Okagbare for
four events, including the Long jump,
4x100m relay, 200m and 100m.
Okagbare had on June 30, won the
200m in the Birmingham Diamond
League in 22.55 seconds. She also
won the long jump event at IAAF
Diamond League on July 5 in
Lausanne, with 6.98 metres before
crossing to Monaco IAAF Diamond
League, where she recorded a
personal best of 7.04m also in the
long jump.

Nigeria last won a medal at the
Athletic World Championship in 1999,
a drought Blessing Okagbare has
ended with her victory.

Courtsey:  www.channels.tv