Nigerian-born Salwa Naser wins Olympics silver medal for Bahrain

Salwa Eid Naser, a Nigerian-born athlete, has won silver for Bahrain in the 400m women’s event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

She crossed the finish line in 48.53 seconds behind Marileidy Paulino from the Dominican Republic, who posted a new Olympic record of 48.17 seconds.

Eid Naser won silver ahead of Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek. Rasheedat Adeleke, another athlete of Nigerian descent representing the Republic of Ireland, finished in fourth place.

Eid Naser was born in Onitsha, Anambra. The athlete was formerly known as Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu. She picked up athletics early in Nigeria and performed at the 2013 School Sports in Port Harcourt and the National Youth Games in Ilorin.

However, the athlete left Nigeria for Bahrain when she was 15, converted to Islam, and changed her name.

Her remarkable feat is the second in three days involving athletes of Nigerian heritage. Annette Echikunwoke also won silver in the Hammer event for the USA after switching allegiance from Nigeria.

Eid Naser is a former world champion, running 48.14s- the fastest time in 34 years- to claim the world title in 2019. A provisional suspension in June 2020 for missed drug tests derailed her career, serving a two-year ban that meant she missed the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

In 2015, she won gold at both the Military World Games and the World Youth Championships for her adopted country. Eid Naser also became the youngest woman to claim a podium finish representing Bahrain as a 19-year-old at the 2017 IAAF World Championships, where she won silver.

However, Team Nigeria is yet to win a medal at the ongoing Olympics. The county’s sole home of a medal rests on Hannah Reuben, who is scheduled to compete in wrestling on Saturday.