Okagbare Races Into 200m Final
The feat made her the third Nigerian woman to run in the finals of
the 200m at the IAAF World championships after Mary Onyali and Fatimah
Yusuf.
Running in the second semi-final alongside three-time winner and one of the big favourites for the gold medal, Allyson Felix of the USA, the Nigerian ran a relaxed race to pick the second automatic ticket for Friday (tonight’s) final behind Felix who ran a new personal season’s best of 22.31.
Okagbare, with a season’s best of 22.31 seconds is one of the athletes tipped for medals. She is up against formidable foes in Felix; 100m champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pyrce and Cote d’Ivoire’s Murielle Ahoure who is the fastest African woman this year at 22.24 seconds.
Okagbare said after her race on Thursday that there are no favourites
in tonight’s final. Although the reigning Nigeria 200m champion admits
she is not in the shape, she is however determined to race to the podium
to become the first Nigerian woman to win a 200m medal as well as the
first Nigerian, man or woman to win two medals at the same championship.
She said, ‘’My legs are not feeling as great as the first day but that was expected. I am just taking it one step at a time. When it’s qualification, I worry about qualification, when it is the semi-final I worry about the semi-final… I’m fine. Anybody can medal, so I just don’t underestimate anyone.’’
Running in the second semi-final alongside three-time winner and one of the big favourites for the gold medal, Allyson Felix of the USA, the Nigerian ran a relaxed race to pick the second automatic ticket for Friday (tonight’s) final behind Felix who ran a new personal season’s best of 22.31.
Okagbare, with a season’s best of 22.31 seconds is one of the athletes tipped for medals. She is up against formidable foes in Felix; 100m champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pyrce and Cote d’Ivoire’s Murielle Ahoure who is the fastest African woman this year at 22.24 seconds.
She said, ‘’My legs are not feeling as great as the first day but that was expected. I am just taking it one step at a time. When it’s qualification, I worry about qualification, when it is the semi-final I worry about the semi-final… I’m fine. Anybody can medal, so I just don’t underestimate anyone.’’
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