The former University of Texas in El Paso graduate arrived Beijing amidst high expectations from Nigerians but she returned a disappointing eighth in the final of the 100 metres. She however apologised and vowed to it make-up in the 200m.
“You work hard, train hard, put your best foot forward and go out there to proudly represent your country. Sometimes, it all comes together for you, and on other days it doesn’t. I feel sad that I let you down. I thank you all for standing by me,” the third fastest woman in the world wrote on her Facebook wall after finishing last in a time of 11.02 seconds at the World Championship.
Indeed, the Technical Manager of the AFN, Yussuf Alli, was quick to come in support of the Sapele-born sprinter, saying he was optimistic that African record of 10.79 in the 100m would bounce back in the women’s 200m event, just as he said the athletics world was shocked that did not win medal in the 100m.
“But that is history now, in track and field many things change in a split of seconds, she has put the race behind her and she is focused on doing well in the 200m. She has what it takes to win a medal in the event; she won a 200m bronze medal at the Moscow 2013 edition of the World Championships. She has been doing well consistently in the 200m, and I am positive she will medal,’’ said Alli.
However, it came as a shock to many after Okagbare failed to line up for the 200m finals sighting hamstring injury.
With All Africa Games in Congo still looming, Okagbare had another opportunity to erase the bad memory of the Beijing World Championship and indeed appease Nigerians, but instead she chose to withdraw from the competition but rather took part in the IAAF Golden League in Zurich, which did not go down well with the eggheads of the National Sports Commission, NSC.
It therefore came as no surprise when the African and Commonwealth 100 and 200 metres champion was been banned by the NSC from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, based
on her refusal to run for Nigeria in the 200m event at the World Championship in Beijing, as well as opting out of Team Nigeria to the ongoing All Africa Games in Congo.
She ran 10.98 seconds in the Diamond League, much to the chagrin of athletics officials who gave her the benefit of the doubt because of her purported injury, but after examining the circumstances bordering her decision to dock the AAG, the NSC and the AFN arise at the decision to ban from representing the country in next year’s Olympic Games.
Earlier this year Okagbare had a battle with the Athletics Federation after accusing the board of killing Nigerian athletics by recruiting foreign athletes, something which the AFN Chairman, Solomon Ogba, described as unfortunate.
She had accused the AFN leadership of paying more attention to recruited foreign athletes, who, according to her, were not better than home grown talents.
Okagbare was born in Sapele, Delta State and given her athletic physique; teachers and family encouraged her to take up sports. Initially, she played football as a teenager at her high school and later, in 2004, she began to take an interest in track and field. She participated in a number of disciplines early on, competing in the long jump, high jump and triple jump events at the Nigerian school championships and winning a medal in each.
In May 2007, at the All-Africa Games trials in Lagos, she established a Nigerian record of 14.13 metres in the triple jump, record that had since been beaten by Chinonye Ohadugha. At the 2007 All-Africa Games she won the silver medal in the long jump and finished fourth in the triple jump.
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