Joe
Day 14 of the Paris Olympics 2024 turned disappointing for Team Nigeria as hopes of securing medals at the Games were dashed on Friday peaknews.ng reports.
Tobi Amusan, the World Record holder in the 100m hurdles, failed to advance to the finals after finishing third in the first semi-final with a time of 12.55 seconds. Amusan’s performance was not enough to secure a spot in the final, as competitors in subsequent semi-finals posted faster times.
Amusan, who gained international recognition at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, set a new world record in the women’s 100 meters hurdles with a time of 12.12 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 12.20 seconds held by American Kendra Harrison since 2016. This achievement made her the first Nigerian athlete to hold a world record in an athletics event.
Adding to Nigeria’s woes, the men’s 4x400m relay team, consisting of Emmanuel Ojeli, Ezekiel Nathaniel, Dubem Amene, and Chidi Okezie, was disqualified after finishing second in their heat with a season’s best time of 2 minutes 59.81 seconds.
The team was penalized after one of the Nigerian runners was judged to have crossed lanes, causing a South African runner to trip. France won the race with a time of 2 minutes 59.53 seconds, while Belgium secured the third automatic qualifying spot with a time of 2 minutes 59.84 seconds. Following Nigeria’s disqualification, South Africa was awarded their spot in the final.
