Okon George drawn in same 400m heat as Eid Naser, Olatoye eyes Hammer gold

Veteran Nigerian quarter-miler Patience Okon George will line up alongside her former compatriot Salwa Eid Naser in the same 400m heat on day two of track and field at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The race, set for the Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Stadium, is not a winner takes all battle battle for survival but rather a symbolic meeting between two athletes whose paths diverged nearly a decade ago.

Okon George, drawn in lane five, will run just outside Eid Naser, who now represents Bahrain after switching allegiance from Nigeria, where she was born Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu.

This marks only the second time the two athletes will share a track. Their first encounter came at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, where Eid Naser won her semifinal heat in a blistering 49.79 seconds, while Okon George finished sixth in 51.89.

Since then, Eid Naser has become a world champion and Olympic silver medalist, while Okon George has remained a consistent figure in Nigerian athletics. Tuesday’s heat is more a reunion than a rivalry, with Okon George hoping to deliver a strong performance against one of the sport’s most decorated stars.

Also on Tuesday, Nigeria’s Oyesade Olatoye will aim to restore pride in the throws after a disappointing outing in the women’s discus.

The 28-year-old hammer thrower, who boasts a season’s best of 70.27m, is expected to dominate her event. Among her challengers is Cameroon’s Nora Atim Monie, who stunned Nigeria’s Obiageri Pamela Amaechi and Chioma Onyekwere to win gold in the discus on Monday.

In the women’s 100m heats, Nigeria will be represented by Chioma Cynthia Nweke in heat one and Iyanuoluwa Toyin Bada in heat two. Both sprinters will be looking to secure spots in the semifinas and later the final all on Tuesday and challenge for medals as Team Nigeria seeks to rebound from a slow start in athletics.