How injury prevented Ese Brume from making Diamond League history

Ese Brume

Kayode Yahaya, coach of the world silver medallist, Nigeria’s Ese Brume, has revealed that the athlete narrowly missed the opportunity of winning the long jump event at the Diamond League final at Oregon, on Sunday night, due to a ‘sudden’ injury.

Brume, who grabbed her World Silver medal at the same venue during the 2021 edition of the World Championships, had established a Season jump of 6.85m in her fifth attempt on Sunday night and was looking forward to winning the title.

But reigning World indoor and outdoor champion, Ivana Vuleta of Serbia, made a sudden jump of 6.85m to equal Brume’s jump, and in the process, denied her for the second time the chance of winning a global event.

The Serbian who edged Brume to the world indoor gold in March 2022 on home soil in Belgrade was trailing the Nigerian after three rounds of jump but leaped 6.85m in her final jump to win her first Diamond League title on countback. She had earlier jumped 6.77m in the fifth round while Brume’s second-best jump on the night was her 6.69m leap also in the fifth round.

Speaking with The Guardian yesterday on his way to his base in Houston, Texas, coach Yahaya, stated that Brume couldn’t make her sixth and final jump owing to an injury she copped in the course of the competition.

“Ese got injured, and could not make her final jump. I believe if she had taken her sixth jump, she could have won the title. But there is always another day. Ese and Tobi Amusan are already at the airport heading to their respective destinations,” Yahaya stated.

The Delta State-born Brume was hoping to become the second Nigerian after Amusan, and the first field eventer to win a Diamond League title after her bid of becoming the most decorated Nigerian in World