Paris 2024 Olympics: Sports Illustrated projects Adekuoroye and not Amusan or Brume to win Nigeria’s sole medal!
Sports Illustrated, an American sports magazine first published in August 1954, has predicted a solitary medal for Nigeria at the Paris Olympics and the medal is not coming from track and field but Wrestling.
The magazine predicted all the likely winners of all the events that will be competed for in Paris from July 26 to August 11 and says Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye will win Nigeria’s only medal at the games in the women’s 57kg freestyle.
It ruled out any podium appearance for world 100m hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan and long jumper, Ese Brume, the two Nigerians with a 50-50 chance of picking medals at the Games.
Instead, Sports Illustrated predicted Masai Russell, the world leader in the 100m hurdles with 12.25 and who Amusan defeated twice last weekend to win the gold with Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent, the second fastest woman so far this year with 12.28 to win the silver and reigning world champion, Danielle Williams to win the bronze medal.
In the long jump, the magazine ruled out a successful title defense for Malaika Mihambo as the German is projected to win the silver medal behind USA’s Tara Davis-Woodhall with Plamena Mitkova of Bulgaria scooping the bronze.
Asisat Oshoala says the Super Falcons are good enough to make history by playing their way to the podium but Sports Illustrated thinks otherwise as it has installed Spain, Australia and France as the top three nations that will mount the podium in that order.
For the men’s, France, without Kylian Mbappe, are projected to win the gold with Argentina and Spain settling for silver and bronze respectively.
Noah Lyles have been projected to successfully complete a sprint double with no African projected to make the 100m podium while Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo is tipped to win bronze in the 200m.
American Sha’Carri Richardson is projected to win the women’s 100m ahead of Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Julien Alfred of St. Lucia while another American, Gabby Thomas is tipped to beat Shericka Jackson of Jamaica to the gold medal.
