Nigerian trio Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro, and Prestina Ochonogor have etched their names in the book of history after making it into the women’s long jump finals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
For the first time in the history of Nigeria’s participation in the Olympics, three athletes have made it to the final of an individual event, per Making of champions on X.
Ese Brume inspires historic feat
The historic achievement, inspired by Ese Brume, the Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist, will now see Nigeria have three representatives in the last 12 to compete for medals in Paris.
Brume saved her best jump for last, clearing the automatic qualifying standard of 6.75 meters with a spectacular leap of 6.76 meters to secure her spot in her third straight Olympic final.
While Brume has made it to this stage before, Ruth Usoro and Prestina Ochonogor will be making their first appearance at the final.
Usoro’s 6.68-meter leap qualified her for her first Olympic final, giving her a second opportunity at redemption following her disappointment as one of the ten disqualified competitors in Tokyo.
Ochonogor, on the other hand, demonstrated her steady form this season as a potential event queen by leaping to an astounding 6.65 m to earn a spot in her maiden world final.
Nigeria’s medal possibilities
Nigeria now have four representatives in the finals of track and field events, with Brume, Usoro, and Ochonogor following in the footsteps of Favour Ofili, the 200-metre finalist, giving the nation a shot at winning a medal in Paris.
