The International Associations of Athletics Federation (IAAF) has tagged Nigeria’s Ese Brume as one of the medal contenders at the 2019 World Athletics Championships which begins on Friday in Doha, Qatar.
Team Nigeria contingent will be in Doha for the 10-day tournament holding at the iconic Khalifa Stadium.
The contingent made up of home-based athletes and coaches as well as officials will be led by the Technical Director of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Sunday Adeleye while the foreign-based athletes will join the team in Doha.
In its preview of the women’s long jump event, the IAAF acknowledged that Brume is the third jumper this season to soar beyond seven metres, which is beyond the qualifying standard.
IAAF wrote, “The 23-year-old Nigerian, who was fifth at the 2016 Olympic Games, reached 7.05m in Bursa, Turkey, in late July in a competition that included wind-assisted marks of 7.03m (3.6m/s) and 6.91m (2.7m/s). Brume followed up with a victory at the African Games in Rabat with a 6.69m leap, her last appearance before Doha.”
Brume is rated behind Germany’s Malaika Mihambo, who is unbeaten in the last nine competitions.
According to ITTF, the 25-year-old German champion has leaped beyond seven metres in five of those six if her wind-aided 7.11m (2.2m/s) victory at the European Team Championships is included.
Mihambo leads the world with 7.16m, owns the three best jumps in the world this season, five of the best six, and six of the best eight.
