11. BLESSING OKAGBARE
Blessing Okagbare is Nigeria’s queen of the track and remains one of the best ever sprinters the continent has produced. The former African Champion has not had a too impressive season thus far, having a Season’s Best (SB) of 11.02s, which was set on her way to clinching her seventh national title at the Nigerian Championships in Sapele.
She also has an SB of 22.58s in the 200m, which is the fastest by an African athlete this year, while in the Long jump she’s recorded an SB of 6.73m, which was set at the Eugene Diamond League.
Though these may not be the best of times and distance needed to win a medal in Rio, one may take consideration in the fact that she’s been strategic with her performances this year, and just waiting for the perfect time to peak after having a 2015 injury plagued season.
Another fact is that she poses one of the biggest threats to her competitors, and can never be written off when it comes to getting a podium placement. This she proved at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where she won GOLD in the sprint double, with a Silver and Bronze medal at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow.
Okagbare will have a lot cut out for her when she competes in her events, having lost her African 100m Record to Murielle Ahouré earlier this year. But this may also spur her not just to regain her record, but also set other records in her bid to add a sprints Olympic medal, or improve that of her Long Jump Bronze at Beijing 2008.
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