Nigeria’s Favour Ofili burst into tears after reaching the final of the 200m race at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ofili qualified for the final by taking the second automatic slot in the race on Monday, reigniting Nigeria’s chances for a medal at the Games.
She finished with a season’s best time of 22.05s, trailing St Lucia’s 100m champion Julien Alfred, who crossed the line in 21.98 seconds. Mary Long of the United States placed third, finishing in 22:30.
Ofili is the first Nigerian to attain the milestone since Mary Onyali advanced to the final of the women’s 200m event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the United States.
Ofili, who was born in 2002, approximately six years after Onyali accomplished the feat, will be looking to improve on her compatriot’s bronze medal performance. The final is set for today, Tuesday, at 8:40 p.m.
The athlete’s remarkable race came after she was disqualified from the 100m race due to administrative errors.
Blessing Oborududu has advanced to the semi-finals of the 68kg women’s freestyle wrestling.
Oborududu defeated Linda Morais of Canada in the first round, 8-2. She then defeated France’s Koumba Larrouque in the quarterfinals, 6-2.
