Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has affirmed that sprinter Favour Ofili earned her place in the women’s 200m semifinals at the Paris Olympics.
Ofili won her heat with a remarkable time of 22.24 seconds on Sunday morning, finishing ahead of Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, who clocked 22.28 seconds, and Gina Bass-Bittaye, who came third in 22.84 seconds.
Ofili’s performance was the second fastest across all six heats, highlighting her talent and readiness. This achievement comes after she missed the 100m event due to a registration issue, which the minister promises to investigate.
In light of the recent issues surrounding the non-registration of Favour Ofili for the 100m event, the Enoh, is said to be leading a thorough investigation.
He expressed concern and demanded answers: “At what point did her name drop out of the 100m race? Who is responsible for this? What is the motivation behind this? What is the trail of communication from AFN to NOC and to IOC and/or World Athletics?”
The Minister emphasized the urgency of these questions being addressed immediately after the Olympics.
He urged Favour Ofili to remain focused and not allow the situation to distract her from her upcoming races, assuring her of his support and communication.
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He also encouraged the rest of Team Nigeria, particularly the Athletics team, to stay motivated and strive for success in their respective events.
“Let them stay motivated to win,” he concluded.
Okonkwo credits Wakama’s pep talk for victory over canada
Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team captain, Amy Okonkwo, attributed their comeback victory over Canada to a motivating halftime pep talk from the Rena Wakama-led coaching staff.
Despite trailing 41-37 at halftime after a strong start, D’Tigress rallied to defeat the 5th-seeded Canada 79-70, securing their second win of the group stage.
Okonkwo, who played through a shoulder injury after a brief rest, emphasized the need for a standout performance to advance to the quarterfinals, especially following their loss to hosts France in their second group game.
“I am so proud of us. The last game wasn’t good for us and even in the first half today, we were not doing what we wanted to come out and do. We had a talk with ourselves and realized it was winning or go home and we decided we wanted to stay.” Nigeria forward, Okonkwo said.