Favour Ofili matches 28-year-old record with qualification for 200m Olympic final

• Favour Ofili secured passage to the final of the 200 metres event at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics
• The 21-year-old finished in second place in Heat 1, ahead of Mckenzie Long and behind Julien Alfred
• The second-place finish by the highly-rated athlete sees her equal a 28-year-old Nigerian record at the Olympics

Favour Ofili showed Nigerians a glimpse of what the country missed out on after omitting her from the final list of the 100-metre heats, with her qualification into the finals of the Olympics in the 200-metre category.

The 21-year-old, who remains one of the country's medal hopefuls at the Paris showpiece, stormed into the final after recording an impressive 22.05 seconds, which was only bested by 100-meter champion Julian Alfred.

Favour Ofili of Team Nigeria reacts after the women's 200m semi-finals at the Stade de France during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Image: Sam Barnes.
Source: Getty Images

The Nigerian sprinter’s time was one and a half-tenths of a second faster than third-place McKenzie Long of the United States.

However, while Ofili will definitely be on cloud nine, especially considering the challenges she has faced leading up to the 200-meter final, she has etched her name into Nigeria's Olympic history, eclipsing a long-standing 28-year record.

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Favour Ofili eclipse 28-year record

According to data made available courtesy of Brila.net, Ofili's qualification for the final marks the first time since the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta that any Nigerian has reached the final of the 200 metres category in the Olympics.

The last Nigerian to achieve this feat was the iconic Mary Onyali, who did so in the United States, where she eventually clinched a bronze medal in the final.

Ofili had earlier declared that her intent at the ongoing Olympic Games is to come home with a medal.

The 21-year-old stressed that despite the setbacks caused by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC), she remains determined to claim a medal.

According to data courtesy of World Athletics, Ofili is well on course to achieve this dream, with the final of the 200 meters slated to take place on August 6.

If Ofili finishes on the podium, it will be Nigeria's first medal at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Nigerians anticipate Tobi Amusan

Legit.ng in another report detailed that world record holder in the Women's 100mH, Tobi Amusan, is set to begin her quest for a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The 26-year-old heads into her third Olympics as one of the favourites in a heavily-stacked field.

She set the current world record of 12.12 seconds in 2022. Amusan will appear on Wednesday morning, August 7, during the first round of the Women's 100mH.

Source: Legit.ng