Favour Ofili of Nigeria expressed her emotions as she secured a spot in the final of the 200m race at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Ofili qualified for the final by finishing second in her heat on Monday, reviving Nigeria’s hopes for a medal at the Games.
She recorded a season-best time of 22.05 seconds, just behind St Lucia’s Julien Alfred, the 100m champion, who finished in 21.98 seconds. The United States’ Mary Long came in third with a time of 22.30 seconds.
Ofili’s achievement marks the first time a Nigerian has reached the final in this event since Mary Onyali’s performance at the Atlanta ’96 Games. Born in 2002, six years after Onyali’s historic run, Ofili will aim to surpass her compatriot’s bronze medal achievement. The final is scheduled for Wednesday at 8:40 pm.
This accomplishment comes despite Ofili missing the 100m race due to administrative issues.
In other news, Blessing Oborududu has advanced to the semi-finals in the 68kg women’s freestyle wrestling. Oborududu defeated Canada’s Linda Morais 8-2 in the first round and overcame France’s Koumba Larrouque 6-2 in the quarter-final. She is set to compete against Azerbaijan’s Zhumanazarova Meerim later on Monday.