By Victor Kanayo
Two Nigerian athletes – Blessing Oborududu and Ezekiel Nathaniel are now in the semi-final of their various sporting engagements at the ongoing 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
While Oborududu dazzled in 68kg wrestling, Nathaniel, a sprinter emerged second in heat 4 of 400m hurdles.
Eye For Medal
Oborududu, now in strong contention for a medal in Paris for the West African nation, clinched a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The 35-year-old wrestler faced a challenging start in her latest match against Canada’s Linda Morais, conceding two points in the opening three minutes.
Demonstrating resilience and skill, Oborududu mounted a remarkable comeback, scoring six unanswered points in the second half, culminating in an 8-2 victory and advancing her to the semifinals.
Her journey to the semi-final also saw her overcoming a formidable opponent in France’s Koumba Larroque during the quarter-final, where she secured a 6-2 win.
400m Hurdles Triumph
On the other hand, Nathaniel ran into the semifinals from heat 4, after clocking a time of 48.38 seconds behind Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke. Clarke finished in a time of 48.17 seconds.
Nathaniel has now broken a 12-year record, qualifying for the semi-final of the men’s 400m hurdles event. The last Nigerian to reach this stage in the event was Amaechi Morton at the London 2012 Olympics.
The 21-year old Nathaniel’s time was the sixth fastest time in the 400m Hurdles. Norway’s Karsten Warholm 47.57 seconds is the fastest time.
It was not a sweet story for Chidi Okezie in the men’s 400m Repechage round, he still could not land in the semi-final, leaving Samuel Ogazi as the lone flag bearer from Nigeria in the competition.
The story was the same for Ella Onojuvwevwo and Esther Elo Joseph in the women’s 400m race on Monday morning.
Joseph was disqualified in her own race while Onojuvwevwo finished sixth in heat 3.
Rare Feat
Meanwhile, Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour became the first African gymnast to win an Olympic medal when she secured the gold with a breathtaking routine on the asymmetric bars at the Games.
The 17-year-old’s fast-paced routine featuring a number of complex release-and-catch manoeuvres delighted the crowd who came to support a gymnast who had previously represented France.
Fans roared and jumped to their feet as soon as Nemour completed her dismount. She immediately broke down in tears as she handed Algeria their first medal of the Paris Olympics, with her performance scoring a staggering 15.700 points.
