Ogunmakinju begins chase for Paris Olympics 400m ticket after African Games heroics

Omolara Ogunmakinju will be in action later Thursday night at the John McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas to begin chase for her first ever Olympic ticket after her 4x400m mixed relay heroics at the 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana last month.

The 2012 Nigeria 400m champion delievered one of the standout performances at the African Games in Accra when she almost single handedly inspired Nigeria’s 4x400m mixed relay team to not only the gold medal but also an African record.

Ogunmakinju knows she needs to run faster than the 51.28 lifetime best she ran in winning her only Nigeria Championship individual medal in the 400m to stand a chance.

The entry standard for the women’s 400m is 50.95 and Ogunmakinju, who consistently ran inside 52 seconds between 2012 and 2016, knows she will have to break a barrier only seven Nigerian women have accomplished.

She will also become the first Nigerian woman since Patience Okon George ran 50.71 in 2015 to break 51 seconds in the event.

Ogunmakinju will run in section five of the event and will be looking to break the 51.47 meet record set by Nickisha Pryce last year.