Echikunwoke wins medal for USA after Nigeria’s negligence disqualified her from Olympics

• Annette Echikunwoke recently clinched a silver medal in the women's hammer throw at the ongoing Olympics
• The 28-year-old hammer thrower was due to represent Nigeria at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo
• An act of negligence by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria cost Echikunwoke the opportunity to feature at the Tokyo showpiece

Annette Echikunwoke is making headlines after clinching a silver medal in the women's hammer throw at the ongoing Paris Olympics.

The 28-year-old athlete achieved a remarkable second-place finish with a throw of 75.48 metres, just behind Canada's Camryn Rodgers, who topped the podium with a 76.97-metre throw.

Silver medalist, Annette Nneka Echikunwoke, of Team United States celebrates after competing in the Women's Hammer Throw Final at Stade de France on August 06, 2024 in Paris. Image: Patrick Smith.
Source: Getty Images

While Echikunwoke's performance at the Paris Games is impressive, the focus on her has shifted away from her athletic achievements. Instead, much of the attention is centred on her recent switch of nationality from Nigeria to the United States.

According to ESPN Africa, Echikunwoke was originally set to represent Nigeria at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. However, due to a lapse by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), she missed the opportunity to compete for her home country.

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AFN's negligence denied Nigeria Echikunwoke

According to the report, Echikunwoke was scheduled to represent Nigeria but was disqualified due to the Athletics Federation's failure to arrange drug tests and communicate her need to provide her whereabouts.

In total, 10 Nigerian athletes who were set to compete in 2021, a significant portion of the Nigerian Olympic Committee's (NOC) delegation, were disqualified due to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria's negligence.

The Federation defended itself by citing that several athletes based in the United States did not update the AFN with their location, though Echikunwoke was not specifically named.

The hammer thrower responded by clarifying that the AFN had requested her location for drug testing on six occasions, and while she provided the information each time, no officials ever arrived to conduct the tests.

Before switching allegiance to the United States, Echikunwoke was recognised as Africa's best athlete in the women's hammer throw, according to data from worldathletics.org.

Ofili falls short of medal in Paris

Legit.ng in another report detailed that Favour Ofili missed out on a medal at the Paris Olympics.

The Nigerian sprinter was on course for a podium finish but fell short by four one-hundredths of a second.

Ofili is presented with another chance to clinch a medal at the event in the Women’s 4x100 meter relay category.

Source: Legit.ng