Can Onwuzurike end Nigeria’s 32-year wait for an Olympic 200m finalist?
Udodi Onwuzurike made the most of the second chance provided by the repechage round to run into the semifinal round of the 200m at the Olympics at the first time of asking but the 21 year old will need to run faster than his 20.13 personal season’s best to become the first Nigerian in 32 years to run in the final of the event.
Olapade Adeniken remains the only Nigerian man to have done that he did it only once, at the Barcelona Olympic in 1992.
On Wednesday, Onwuzurike will be eager to thread where greats like Francis Obikwelu and Divine Oduduru, two of the three Nigerians who have broken 20 seconds in the event have failed.
The 21 year old has been drawn in what looks like a kind draw as he will be battling for one of the two automatic tickets with USA’s Erriyon Knighton who is just one of two athletes who have broken 20 seconds in his heat. the other is a Zimbabwean, yes, a Zimbabwean, Tapiwanashe Makarawu who ran 19.93 in April in Lubbock, Texas.
Also in the group is African Athletics Championships’ double sprint king, Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh who has done 20.06 this year.
Onwuzurike is faster, this year, than the remaining four athletes in the group and the Nigerians knows the race belongs to those who are ready on the day.
