Flora Ugwunwa Wins Nigeria’s 7th Gold at the Rio Paralympics

Day six of the 2016 Paralympic Games didn’t have much in it for Nigeria until a class act from Flora Ugwunwa in the women’s Javelin event landed the nation its seventh gold medal. It was Nigeria’s second medal in track and field.

Ugwunwa hurled 20.25 meters to smash the games record and leave her closest rivals, Hania Aidi of Tunisia and South African veteran Ntombizanele Situ to settle for silver and bronze respectively. Aidi, who until Tuesday held the record, could only muster a throw of 18.88 meters to finish second. Situ’s throw of 17.90 meters was also enough to earn her a place on the podium.

The gold medal won by Ugwunwa ensured that Nigeria held on to the ninth place on the medals table; Nigerian athletes at the games have now won ten medals- seven golds, two silvers and a bronze.

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ikenna-nwachukwu

Ikenna Nwachukwu holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He loves to look at the world through multiple lenses- economic, political, religious and philosophical- and to write about what he observes in a witty, yet reflective style.

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