Rio Olympics: Okagbare qualifies for 100m semi-finals

Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare has qualified for the women’s 100m semi-finals at the ongoing Rio Olympics.

She clocked 11.16 seconds to finish 2nd in heat 3, taking one of the two automatic qualification spots.

Knowing that a first two finish guarantees her a place in the next round, the athlete, who ran from lane 5, did not stress herself so much.

Tori Bowie, 2015 world Bronze medalist, won the race in a time of 11.13 seconds, with Angela Tenorio, finishing 3rd in 11.35 seconds.

This will be Okagbare’s successive 100m semifinal qualification at the Olympics. The Commonwealth champion will be hoping for a better outing than the London 2012 games

Meanwhile, in the other races involving Nigerian athletes, Gloria Asumnu finished 5th in heat 2, with a time of 11.55 second same as Jennifer Madu, who competed in heat 5, making her first international bow and finishing with a time of 11.61 seconds.

Orukpe Eraiyokan, who made his first appearance at the Olympics, ran a season’s best (SB) of 47.42 seconds to finish 7th in heat 7 – this is the fastest Eraiyokan has ran, the closest being 44.95 seconds at the 2015 African Games in Congo.

Uhunoma Osazuwa currently occupies the 24th position after four events in the Heptathlon.

The African champion and Nigerian record holder will hope to do well in the remaining events – long jump, javelin and 800m.