By Uzor Odigbo
Team Nigeria may return from the Paris Olympics Games without a Medal to show for the N12 billion federal government invested in Nigeria’s Participation at the Olympics.
This is sequel to the Team Nigeria’s last medal hope and World record holder, Tobi Amusan (12.12) not running in the Olympic 100m hurdles final after finishing third in her semifinal heat as her 12.55s run was not fast enough to secure her one of the two fastest losers’ slot.
Her bid for a first ever Olympic medal after emerging world champion in 2022 will be leaving her second major event without a medal.
She placed fourth three years ago in Tokyo, after crashing out at the semifinal stage in her debut in 2016.
Also on a terrible Friday for Nigeria, the men’s 4x400m relay team of Ifeanyi Ojeli, Nathaniel Ezekiel, Dubem Amene and Chidi Okezie who many thought made history Friday morning as the first Nigerian team to run in the final of the event since 2004 has been disqualified for running out of their lanes.
The Nigerians violated World Athletics’ competition rule 17.2.3 which states that each athlete shall keep within their allocated lane from start to finish and, when running on a bend, shall not step or run on or inside the left-hand lane line or in the case of the inside lane, the kerb or line marking the border of the inside of the track.
Nigerian lead off runner, Ojeli violated the rule and the country’s 4x400m team has now been replaced by South Africa who managed to come from the brink of elimination after one of their athletes fell. They will now run in the final since they last did in 2012
