Nigeria’s free fall continues in Peru, Ella Onojuvwevwo flops

Nigerian Wins 400m Gold For South Africa

A day after long jumper, Prestina Ochonoghor, and sprinter, Justina Eyakpobeya, failed to deliver medal for Team Nigeria at the 2024 World U-20 Athletics Championships in Lima, Peru, Nigerians got another rude shock in the early hours of Friday with pre-championship favourite, Ella Onojuvwevwo, failing in the 400m final.

Some athletics-loving Nigerians had stayed awake late into the night waiting for Onojuvwevwo to deliver the nation’s fifth gold medal in the women’s 400m and 15th gold overall by Nigeria in the history of the Championships. But like those who competed before her in Peru, Onojuvwevwo disappointed, and in the process became the sixth Nigerian woman to return without a medal in the 400m event.

The 19-year-old Onojuvwevwo, who was part of Team Nigeria to the Paris 2024 Olympics, faded badly in the home stretch, level with Lurdes Gloria Manuel, allowing the Czech athlete to move ahead and win in 51.29 seconds.

The Nigeria ended in a disappointing fifth position (52.61seconds) to become the sixth Nigerian woman to run in the final of the event without winning a medal after Yemi Fagbamila in 2002, the duo of Sekinat Adesanya and Folasade Abugan in 2006, Bukola Abogunloko in 2010 and Edidiong Ofonime Odiong in 2014.

According to SportsNow.com, Nigeria remains the most decorated nation in the women 400m event with four gold medals won by Fatimah Yusuf in 1990 in a 50.62 Championship record, Olabisi Afolabi (1994), Folashade Abugan (2008) and Imaobong Nse Uko (2021).

With Onojuvwevwo’s inability to deliver on Friday morning, Team Nigeria now stand the risk of coming back home without a medal for the second straight edition of the Championships and eighth time overall after