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 2015: Nigeria Qualify For Women's 4x400m Final

Nigeria’s 4 x 400 metres relay team on Saturday in Beijing, China gave Team Nigeria a final chance of winning any medal at the 15th World Athletics Championships.

The team of Funke Oladoye, Tosin Adeloye, Regina George and Patience George qualified for Sunday’s final of the event by winning heat 1 with a season best 3 minutes 23.27 seconds.

They pushed Jamaica and Russia into second and third respectively. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian team, who were in lane 8, previously had a season best 3.30.88 and did achieve a good feat with Saturday’s effort.

World Championships 2015: Bolt Beats Gatlin In 200m Men's Final

Usain Bolt won the rematch and 200m gold as he ran a wonderful bend to once again leave rival Justin Gatlin chasing silver and fresh air.

On a sweaty, sticky night in the Bird's Nest, Bolt was out of the blocks quicker and opened up an unassailable lead over the first 100m before coming away down the straight and jabbing his thumbs at his chest as he crossed the line.

His 19.55 seconds was the fastest in the world this year, his speed and peerless championship class too good for American Gatlin, whose 19.74 was well outside his season's best.

World Championships 2015: Bolt & Gatlin Qualifies For 200m Men's Final

The Usain Bolt v Justin Gatlin re-match is on after both men dominated their semi-finals to charge into Thursday's 200m final.

Bolt, looking to retain his other individual sprint title after that extraordinary 100m victory here in the Bird's Nest, looked to be saving his strength for the next showdown as he eased off in 19.95 seconds.

Gatlin, comfortably the fastest man in the world this year over 200m, as he was over 100m, ran a controlled 19.87 as he seeks revenge for his shock defeat on Sunday night.

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.

Video: Watch Usain Bolt's 100m Race Win At The World Championships 2015

              
It looked like Gatlin was going to win but the never say die Usain came forward and stole the gold with just a second, just a second......Gatlin must be really pained and has you can see the Jamaicans continued the noise, they know Bolt doesn't disappoint.. i just love this guy, he;s great, very great.

World Championships 2015: Blessing Okagbare Moves Into 100m Semi-Final

African and Commonwealth track queen, Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor, yesterday, got her quest to add IAAF World Championship 100m gold to her tally of medals by winning her first heat with a time of 11.07 seconds.

As one of the favourites for the women 100 and 200 metres gold medals in the on-going championships in Beijing, the sensational Nigerian sprinter is using the event as a launch pad to win gold in next year’s Olympic Games in Brazil. However, she is up against some very stiff opposition in the form of US champion Torie Bowie, Jamaica’s 2007 women’s 100m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

World Championships 2015: 10 Facts You Need To Know About Blessing Okagbare - Dare Esan

Blessing Okagbare will attempt to race, once again, into the record books Monday when she lines up for first the 100m semi-final and later the final at the IAAF World Athletics Championships.

Okagbare is undoubtedly the greatest sprinter Nigeria has ever had and Completesportsnigeria.com’s DARE ESAN, who is in Beijing covering the IAAF World Athletics Championships, brings you five facts you need to know about her before the races and five records she could add to her already very storied career.

World Championships 2015: Usain Bolt Wins Hardest 100m Career Race

Usain Bolt has described his World Championships 100m final victory over Justin Gatlin as the "hardest race" of his career. The Jamaican, 29, lived up to his billing as the saviour of athletics as he held off the challenge of the two-time drug cheat to win in 9.79 seconds. Pre-race favourite Gatlin had to settle for silver in Beijing.

"Coming back from injury I've had a lot of doubters, it's been tough," Bolt said after winning a ninth world title.

He added: "For me to come to the championships and defend my title is a good feeling.