Finally, there is cheering news coming from Team Nigeria’s camp at the ongoing 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan as Nigerian long-jump sensation, Ese Brume, grabs silver in the long jump with 6.97m. Germany’s Malaika Mihambo clinched gold with 7.00m and the United States of America (USA)’s Brittney Reese with 6.97m for silver.
Brume had a good opening leap when she took the lead in the women’s Long Jump final, jumping 6.97m (+0.4), enough for a medal. Malaika Mihamo and Ivana Spanovic both opened with 6.83m and 6.71m respectively.
Brume, a 25-year-old has raised Nigerian hopes that the nation will once again produce an individual gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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This means Ese Brume becomes Team Nigeria’s first medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and clinched Nigeria’s first athletics medal at the Olympics in 13 years.
Brume has risen exponentially over the last two seasons, earning the silver at the Doha World Championships in 2019 before leaping to a new African record earlier in 2021.
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Few months after Brume’s birth, Chioma Ajunwa became Nigeria’s first and only individual gold medallist at the Olympic Games when she unleashed a giant leap of 7.12m on her first attempt in the long jump final at Atlanta 1996.
Ajunwa record had stood untouched all these years until Brume landed a 7.17m jump in Chula Vista, California. The distance rocketed the Nigerian to the top of the 2021 list, giving her hopes of a medal in Tokyo 2020 a significant boost.
“It’s a huge achievement for me and my coach. It was a surprise for us at first and, you know, it was something that we didn’t expect to happen at that moment. It just happened,” Brume told Olympics.com. “And we’re still trying to recover from it. And hopefully…I’m able to back this distance, and hopefully, it should get me a medal.”
Brume said she hoped her story would inspire other young girls in Nigeria, where she noted that sports participation among women is still at low levels.
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Brume, who grew up in Ughelli in the Delta State, said she was surprised her parents allowed her to take part in sports due to their conservative values. “I want to make young girls believe that all things are possible,” she said. “You know that they can do exactly or even better than what I’m doing right now.”
“I’m not any super girl from one unique place,” Brume added. “No, I’m a local girl from Ughelli. So if this local girl can do it, can come this far from nothing to become something, then you also can do it.”
Also, Nigerian wrestler and Commonwealth champion, Blessing Oborududu, on Monday made history as the first Nigerian to reach the final of a wrestling event at the ongoing 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Oborududu recorded an impressive 7-2 victory against 2012 bronze medallist, Battsetseg Soronzonbold of Mongolia in the last four clashes.
Oborududu will face Tamyra Stock Mensah in Tuesday’s final after the American World champion overpowered Ukraine’s Alla Cherkasova 10-4 in the first semi-final.
Whatever be the outcome, Team Nigeria is guaranteed of clinching another medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Oborududu, 32-year-old becomes the first Nigerian wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics.
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