Nigeria has been blessed with talented female athletes such as the likes of Mary Onyali, Gloria Alozie, and
Falilat Ogunkoya. However, the latest queen of the track and Golden Girl of Nigeria is undoubtedly Blessing Okagbare.
Blessing Okagbare (born 9 October 1988) is a Nigerian track and field athlete who specializes in long jumping and short sprints. She is an Olympic and World Championship medallist in the long jump, and a world medallist in the 200m race.
Okagbare was born in Sapele, Delta State, in Nigeria. Given her athletic physique, teachers and family encouraged her to take up sports. Initially she played soccer as a teenager at her high school
and later, in 2004, she began to take an interest in the field and pursued track.
She participated in a number of disciplines early on, competing in the long jump, triple jump and high jump events at the Nigerian school championships and winning a medal in each. On the Senior National Stage, she was a triple jump bronze medallist at the 2004 Nigeria National Sports Festival. Okagbare’s first international outing came at the 2006 World Junior Championships in athletics, where she performed in the qualifying rounds of both the long and triple jump competitions.
Her 100m best of 10.79s made her the African record holder for the event. She was the African 100m and long jump champion in 2010. She has also won medals at the All-Africa Games and the IAAF Continental Cup.
2013 would prove to be a breakthrough year for Okagbare. In April 2013, in Walnut, California, Blessing Okagbare set a personal record in the 200m with a time of 22.31s. Then, in July, she
improved her personal best in the long jump with successive jumps of 6.98m at the Athletissima meet in Lausanne, and 7.00m during the Monaco Herculis meet. On July 27, 2013, at the London Anniversary Games, Okagbare set a new African record of 10.86s in her 100m race. She won the final about an hour later, setting a new African record of 10.79s, in a race where she beat reigning 100m Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Okagbare’s record eclipsed the existing record by compatriot Glory Alozie of 10.90s which had stood since 1998.
At the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Okagbare won the silver medal in the long jump. Her jump of 6.99m put her in second place behind Brittney Reese of the United States by only two centimetres. In the 100m final, she placed sixth with a run of 11.04s and also placed third in the 200m race.
Her most recent accomplishment came from China where she won the 200m and Long Jump category.
Last weekend, American Tori Bowie won the 200m in the year’s fastest time, 22.18, with Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare second in a personal-best 22.23 and US star Allyson Felix third at 22.44.
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This article was first published on 2nd June 2014
obimartins
Martins Okafor is a Sports Writer for Connect Nigeria. He has been a sport buff for years, following stories and development in leagues and international competitions. His interest led him to writing stories – reporting on sporting events. He has superior interest in soccer, but knows much about other sports. He plans to have a blog and to advance in sport journalism. You can email him at: obimartins85 [at] gmail.com
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Nigeria has been blessed with talented female athletes such as the likes of Mary Onyali, Gloria Alozie, and Falilat Ogunkoya. However, the latest queen of the track and Golden Girl of Nigeria is undoubtedly Blessing Okagbare.
Blessing Okagbare (born 9 October 1988) is a Nigerian track and field athlete who specializes in long jumping and short sprints. She is an Olympic and World Championship medallist in the long jump, and a world medallist in the 200m race.
Okagbare was born in Sapele, Delta State, in Nigeria. Given her athletic physique, teachers and family encouraged her to take up sports. Initially she played soccer as a teenager at her high school
and later, in 2004, she began to take an interest in the field and pursued track.
She participated in a number of disciplines early on, competing in the long jump, triple jump and high jump events at the Nigerian school championships and winning a medal in each. On the Senior National Stage, she was a triple jump bronze medallist at the 2004 Nigeria National Sports Festival. Okagbare’s first international outing came at the 2006 World Junior Championships in athletics, where she performed in the qualifying rounds of both the long and triple jump competitions.
Her 100m best of 10.79s made her the African record holder for the event. She was the African 100m and long jump champion in 2010. She has also won medals at the All-Africa Games and the IAAF Continental Cup.
2013 would prove to be a breakthrough year for Okagbare. In April 2013, in Walnut, California, Blessing Okagbare set a personal record in the 200m with a time of 22.31s. Then, in July, she
improved her personal best in the long jump with successive jumps of 6.98m at the Athletissima meet in Lausanne, and 7.00m during the Monaco Herculis meet. On July 27, 2013, at the London Anniversary Games, Okagbare set a new African record of 10.86s in her 100m race. She won the final about an hour later, setting a new African record of 10.79s, in a race where she beat reigning 100m Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Okagbare’s record eclipsed the existing record by compatriot Glory Alozie of 10.90s which had stood since 1998.
At the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Okagbare won the silver medal in the long jump. Her jump of 6.99m put her in second place behind Brittney Reese of the United States by only two centimetres. In the 100m final, she placed sixth with a run of 11.04s and also placed third in the 200m race.
Her most recent accomplishment came from China where she won the 200m and Long Jump category.
Last weekend, American Tori Bowie won the 200m in the year’s fastest time, 22.18, with Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare second in a personal-best 22.23 and US star Allyson Felix third at 22.44.
