Team Nigeria is yet to secure a podium finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics as medal hopeful Ese Brume missed out in the women’s long jump final, finishing 5th with a leap of 6.70m.
Brume, who holds the African Record, led a historic Nigerian participation. For the first time, Team Nigeria fielded three athletes in the final of an individual event at the Olympics.
Olympic debutants Ruth Usoro and Prestina Ochonogor finished 10th and 12th, respectively, in the same event.
Earlier in the day, Nigeria’s men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams were eliminated in the heats, ending their medal hopes.
In weightlifting, Folashade Rafiatu Lawal came close to a podium finish in the women’s 59kg category but had to settle for 5th place after lifting a total of 230kg despite battling an injury.
In the women’s Canoe Single 200m event, Ayomide Powei Bello and Beauty Akinaere Otuedo competed in the quarterfinals but failed to advance. Bello finished 6th in her heat with a time of 49.24s, while Otuedo placed 8th in her heat, clocking in at 1:01.82seconds.
Nigerian record holder Ezekiel Nathaniel also fell short, failing to progress beyond the semi-finals in the men’s 400m hurdles.
Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye was defeated in the quarter-finals of the women’s wrestling 57kg category. After a strong start against China’s Kexin Hong, where she led 4-0, Adekuoroye was outscored 10-8, ending her Olympic campaign.
