The long awaited Tokyo Olympics games is finally here. Formerly scheduled to hold in July, 2020 but had to be postponed because of COVID-19 pandemic which paralysed all sporting activities worldwide last year.
Come this Friday, 23rd July, 2021 the opening ceremony will take place in Tokyo to herald the beginning of a two week long sporting event that will end on the 8th August, 2021.
For Nigeria, it is yet another opportunity to show to the world what Nigeria’s sportsmen and sports women are capable of doing. For some, Tokyo Olympics will be their debut. For some, it is their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th appearance at the global event that was last held in 2016.
FUNKE OSHONAIKE
However, for Olufunke Oshonaike, Tokyo Olympics 2021 appearance will be historic, a record . She will be the first Nigerian and first African woman to ever participate in 7 editions of summer Olympics games. At 46, she is considered the oldest in Team Nigeria. Was three time African champion and winner of several gold medals at different meets.
Photo Credit: Premium Times
ARUNA QUADRI
Leading the pack of ping pong players is veteran, Aruna Quadri who also doubles as the captain of Team Nigeria . A man of many first. At 32, he was the 1st African to reach the quarter finals of Summer Olympics in 2016. He also got to the quarter finals of World cup event in 2014 according to Wikipedia.
Worthy of mention here is his compatriot in the game, Omotayo Olajide, a professional tennis player with PPC Villeneuve, France. Olajide is the current African Champion. He beat Quadri in the final of the 2019 Africa games. Offiong Edem completes the number of 4 players registered for the table tennis event.
Photo Credit: The Will
ODUNAYO ADEKUOROYE
She is considered thebrightest for a gold medal at Tokyo Olympics. Her record spoke volumes: She is the world’s number 2 in the freestyle wrestling for women. Won gold at 2014 commonwealth games at age 20, won bronze medal at 2015 world wrestling championship, silver at 2017 world wrestling championship, and gold at 2018 commonwealth games. Nigeria is parading 5 wrestlers at the Tokyo Olympics, 4 women and 1 man according to Olympics.
Photo Credit: Olympics
BLESSINGS OKAGBARE
Blessings Okagbare, at 32, is considered as one of the oldest in Team Nigeria. As far back as 2008 , she represented Nigeria at the Olympics and won a silver medal in the long jump event. She followed it up with another silver in long jump at World championship. A winner of 3 gold and two silver medals at All Africa Games. She has also won 6 gold and 1 silver at African championships.
Photo Credit: World Athletics
Blessings holds the commonwealth 100m games record of 10.85sec which she set in 2014. At the same meet, she was part of the relay team that won the silver medal in 4x100m relay. She repeated the feat again in 2018 with yet another silver in 4x100m relay. Her most recent global conquest was in 2015 when she won gold in the world relays- 4x200m.
At Tokyo Olympics, Blessings, ranked 5th and 7th respectively in 100m and 200m in the world according to world Athletics, is expected to rely on her wealth of experience to win a medal for Nigeria.
ESE BRUME
Yet another prospectfor a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Ranked 3rd in the world in the Long jump, Ese Brume, 25, was three-time African Senior Champion in Long jump in 2014, 2016, and 2018 African championship. In 2014, she won a gold medal for Nigeria at the commonwealth games.
Photo Credit: World Athletics
With a personal best of 7.17m in the Long jump event, Ese , in her most recent global conquest, came 3rd in World Athletics championships in Qatar in 2019 according to World Athletics.
TOBILOBA AMUSAN
Tokyo Olympics medal hope. Ranked number 4 in the world, Tobi Amusan won gold in 2018 and 2019 Commonwealth games and African championship respectively in 100m hurdles. With a personal best and season best time of 12.48sec., Tobi, 24, first participated in the Olympics in 2016. Tokyo Olympics will be her second Olympics and hopefully, she’ll be on the Medals table for Nigeria.
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D’TIGERS – BASKETBALL TEAM (MEN)
Fresh from defeating basketball powerhouse, America, in a recent pre-Olympic exhibition game, the first by an African team, D’Tigers of Nigeria has all it takes to qualify from its group (GroupB) comprising Germany, Italy and Australia.
Nigeria has the largest contingent of NBA players on a single Olympic roster for any non- American nation in history according to The Athletic.
Photo Credit: The Athletic
With a former NBA player as coach, Mike Brown, Nigeria, which also defeated Argentina, ranked 4th in the world in a pre-Olympic exhibition game, will be an underdog at the games and will be looking forward to shock many more established nations at Tokyo Olympics.
D’TIGRESS – BASKETBALL TEAM (WOMEN)
Nigeria’s women basketball team, D’Tigress are the African champions. At basketball world cup in 2018, the team went as far as the quarter finals before it lost to US.
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Grouped with Japan, France and USA, for the group stage of Tokyo Olympics games, Nigeria are still hoping to win their appeal for 2 WNBA Nigerian players, Nnneka Ogwumike and Elizabeth Williams who were initially denied the opportunity to play for Nigeria because they have played for US program before according to The Guardian. It is hope the judgement will be in favour of Nigera who are banking on the experience of the WNBA duo to strengthen the squad.
Photo Credit: Alamy
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SOURCE: news-af.feednews.com