Team Nigeria achieved an unprecedented feat as three Nigerian women qualified for the final of the women’s long jump yesterday for the first time in the history of the games.
Usoro set the momentum in the first round when she flew down the runway to hit a huge foul in the region 7 metres. Brume only managed 6.44m in the first round, while Ochonogor in her first major championship only managed 6.29m.
In the next round, Usoro rallied down again, this time hitting the board with room to spare and breaking sand at a big 6.68m (1.4) to immediately go into the lead.
Ochonogor who was in Group B, drew huge inspiration from this performance, soaring to an impressive 6.65m also in the second round to move into second in that qualification group.
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Brume only managed 6.40m in the second round, and with just one attempt left, she was outside both the automatic qualification mark of 6.75m and the top 12 finish needed to reach the final.
The hugely experienced African Record holder in the event, drew on her years of experience, charging down the runway and hitting 6.76m on her final jump to qualify for the final
Brume became the first athlete to win four long jump titles in African Championship history, winning the crown three times consecutively in 2014, 2016, and 2018.
The last time Nigeria had more than one athlete in an Athletics Olympic final was as far back as 1996 when Falilat Ogunkoya and Fatimat Yusuf both made the women’s 400m final in Atlanta.
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