Olympics: Nigeria’s medal hopes dashed as Okagbare claims last place in women’s final 100m race

Posted by admin Headlines, NNP News, Sports, Top Stories, Track & Field Saturday, August 4th, 2012

Okagbare wining her race during the 2012 Olympic Preliminary Qualifying races

Okagbare winning her preliminary qualifying race

Women's 100m final race at London's Olympic Stadium, August 4, 2012

By NNP

Filed by NNP – Nigeria’s woes at the on-going London Olympic games continued unabated Saturday as the only hopeful for a medal, 23 year-old Blessing Okagbare, finished last (11:01 secs) in the final women’s 100m race that was won by 32-year Jamaica’s Shelly-ann Frazer-Pryce (10:75 secs) with America’s Carmelita Jeter claiming silver (10:78 secs) while Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown claimed the bronze (10:81 secs).

Delta’s Okagbare had raised hopes of Nigerians of a medal (perhaps, even a gold) when she ran her best time during the preliminary qualifying races beating the favorite Jamaican duo. However, in the race that mattered most, the University of Texas at El Paso graduate was found amply wanting unable to find her magic.

With the Olympics well into its 8th day and drawing to a close, Nigerians are left to wonder if Team Nigeria will bring home a single medal. It will be recalled that Nigeria’s Olympic basketball team was on August 2nd virtually erased by the US Dream team by an embarrassing score of 156-73 in the worst ever Olympic loss since Brazil demolished China in the 1988 Seoul Olympics by a 101-29 scoreline.