Nigerian-born Ezinne Okparaebo emerged champion in the women’s 60m at the Nowergian Indoor National Championships held last weekend in Rud.
Okparaebo crossed the line in 7.17s to win the title, beating Helene Ronningen who came in 2nd at 7.39s, while Astrid Mangen Cederkvist placed 3rd, clocking a time of 7.51s.
By virtue of her victory, she is in the frame and could be included in the Norwegian team to the 2016 World Indoor Championships taking place in Portland, USA later this month.
Having moved to Norway when she was nine, Okparaebo has been competing for the Scandinavian country since turning pro in 2005. She holds Norway’s 100m record, clocking 11.10s at the London 2012 Olympics where she made the semi-final. She has a Personal Best (Indoor) of 7.10m in the 60m, and 11.42s in the 100m.
At the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, Okparaebo came close to matching her NR, running a time of 11.12s in the heats of the women’s 100m. With the Olympics coming up this year, she will have her sights on matching or even setting a new record.
