Delta-born Blessing Okagbare is the cynosure of all eyes for Team Nigeria as curtain falls on the Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow, Scotland, today.
Okagbare, who set a new Commonwealth Games record of 10.85 seconds to win women’s 100m gold earlier in the Games, breasted the tape at 22.25secs on Thursday to win the women’s 200m event ahead of Jodie Williams of England.
Blessing Okagbare
She produced a fine piece of relaxed sprinting to win her second gold medal at the Games which started on Wednesday, July 23.
Last Monday evening, she broke Bahamian sprint athlete, Debbie Ferguson’s 12-year record of 10.91 seconds by setting a new one at 10.85 seconds.
Okagbare is the second African to win the Commonwealth Games Women’s 100m title since Nigerian Mary Onyali-Omagbemi won in it 1994.
Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr. Tanmuno Danagogo, described the athlete as a blessing to the country.
He said: “She is indeed our rave of the moment. We are proud of her and her contributions to the sports. She is indeed a blessing to Nigeria.”
Apart from Okagbare, other Team Nigeria athletes that won medals for the country at the Games include: Nkechi Opara who won bronze in the women’s weightlifting 48 kg event; Oluwatoyin Adesanmi who won gold in the women’s wrestling 63kg event; Obioma Okoli who won silver in the women’s wrestling 63kg event, and the men’s tennis team that won bronze.
Others are: Ndidi Winifred who claimed silver in the women’s 58kg weightlifting event; Yinka Ayenuwa claimed the country’s first men’s individual event medal; Odunayo Adekuoroye who won gold medal in the women’s wrestling 53kg freestyle; Aminat Adeniyi who won gold medal in the women’s wrestling 58kg freestyle; Maryam Usman who won gold medal in the women’s weightlifting +75 kg event and Blessing Oborodudu won bronze in the women’s weightlifting freestyle 63kg.
Completing the medals haul for Team Nigeria are Ese Brume who won gold in Women’s long jump event; Sampson Clarkson who won bronze in the men’s wrestling freestyle 65kg; Ifeoma Nwoye who won bronze in the women’s wrestling freestyle 55kg; and Andrew Dick who won silver medal in the men’s wrestling freestyle 86kg.
The Nigerian government has announced handsome financial rewards for any athlete who win medals at the Games.
According to reports, any athlete who wins a gold medal will go home with $7,000; silver $4,000 while bronze is $3,000.
Nigeria was ninth at the last Games in New Delhi, India in 2010 with 11 gold, eight silver and 14 bronze medals.
The Games, which started on Wednesday, July 23, will officially come to an end today, August 3, in Glasgow. It is the largest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland with around 4,950 athletes from 71 different nations and territories competing in 17 different sports.
Queen Elizabeth of England is expected to be in attendance at the colourful closing ceremony with the leadership of Commonwealth Games officials.
Team Nigeria featured in seven sports namely: athletics, table tennis, wrestling, boxing, weightlifting, shooting and all the sports for the physically-challenged (para-sports).
