World Championships 2015: Blessing Okagbare Succumbed To Pressure Not Injury

Nigeria’s failure to win a medal at the just concluded IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China remains the talk of the moment for athletics enthusiasts. Yesterday renowned athletics coach, Toni Urhobo declared that Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s claim of injury to Blessing Okagbare was diversionary.

Urhobo said Okagbare bowed to pressure of competing at the big stage with the big girls of world athletics.

Okagbare despite running one of the fastest times in the season, failed to measure up in the women 100m. She placed 8th in the race won by Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce of Jamaica.  Okagbare who vowed to bounce back in the 200m, made a no show and that caused a furore.

World Championships: Team Nigeria's Woes Continues In Beijing

Team Nigeria has been disappointing in Beijing with Nigeria's lead athlete Blessing Okagbare failing to make it to the 100m final coupled with other failures from members of the team.

Nigerian athletes’ nightmare at the IAAF World Championships, on-going in Beijing, China continued yesterday when Women 400m hopeful, Patience Okon-George and men 200m runner, Tega Odele bowed out of the contest.

Okon-George reached her last bus stop in the semi-final of the women 400m with an improvement in her profile; a personal best of 50.76 seconds in the race won by Christine Ohurougu with 50.16 seconds. USA’s Allyson Felix ran the fastest semi-final time a 49.89 seconds, which was rivalled by 50.12 seconds, done byShunae Miller of the Bahamas. The final comes up this afternoon.