Nnamdi seeks new Nigeria record to seal place in Paris 2024 Olympics Javelin final
Onojuvwevwo takes second chance to qualify, Elo Joseph out
The first and last time a Nigerian competed in the javelin event at the Olympics was 28 years ago in Atlanta, USA where Pius Bazighe did not go beyond the qualifying round, finishing 16th in his heat.
This is the unwanted record Nnamdi Chinecherem will be keen to erase when he makes his Olympic debut on Tuesday.
The 22 year old has, however, been set a huge task to ensure he does not exit at the first hurdle like Bazighe did in 1996. He needs to throw 84.00m to ensure he gets the automatic ticket to what would be a historic final.
The mark means the African Games champion will have to throw farther than the 82.80m he threw to win in Accra, Ghana in March to secure his place in the final.
Meanwhile, Ella Onojuvwevwo as been given another chance to secure a place in the women’s 400m semifinal while Elo Joseph seems to have opted out, either through injury or through any undisclosed reasons.
Onojuvwewvo finished sixth in the opening round of the event on Monday, thereby missing the chance to secure one of the three automatic tickets that will take her to the semis.
In Tuesday’s race, the Nigerian is expected to overcome all obstacles and secure the lone ticket that has been made available by World Athletics in the Repechage round.
